Some Things Never Change
by JUCHKO
Summary: Obliviousness is in the air and Mel is the Master Wizard. What will happen? How are they going to survive? Is Fern becoming jealous? And what is this about stalkers? Complete.
1. Setting Off

Disclaimer: If I owned Magical x Miracle, then there would have been more than just six books!

**Chapter one: Setting Off**

_**BANG**_

Another pile of papers was dropped onto the already cluttered desk of the Master Wizard. Looking up, said wizard, the Silver Haired Saint (better known as Mel to her friends) caught sight of a miffed Yue hustling out of the room, presumably to find more papers for her to slave over. A sigh escaped her.

His majesty had decided to go on a tour of his country, to assure their people that all was well and that they were not going to war…as well as to show off their new Master Wizard. This, of course, meant that she had to finish as much paperwork as possible before they left…and that Yue had to help her. While she pulled the first paper off the pile, a poorly concealed laugh reached her ears.

Turning, Mel glared at the red-head, "Fern!" He remained leaning against the wall, chuckling. "It's not funny!"

Fern smirked, "Whatever you say." He paused, and then added as Yue reappeared with another stack of papers, "Hey, you'd better get back to work, or else you'll soon be buried." Mel squeaked, swiveling back around and hurriedly putting quill to paper before Yue put down his next pile and was able to see that she hadn't done anything yet. Once he'd stomped out of the room again, Mel growled at Fern without turning away from her work, "How about you help instead of just laughing at me."

Pushing off the wall, Fern came over slowly, "And how could I help, O'Master Wizard?"

The sarcasm was obvious, but Mel ignored it. Plucking yet another paper from a pile, she answered, "Could you sort through these for me please? It would help speed things up." Fern rolled his eyes, but got to work anyway on the pile closest to him.

Mel continued to work on the paper at hand as she heard him muttering under his breath as if she'd done him a disfavor. She knew, though, that despite his grumbling, he actually _did _want something to do; he just couldn't bring himself to ask. She repressed a smile.

* * *

Mel set down her quill as she yawned, and then proceeded to stand up and stretch. Fern watched her without saying anything. It had taken them late into the night, but they had finally finished all the official paperwork. Taking the last pile of papers from the desk, Fern turned and walked out the door that Yue had been coming in and out of all day. He had to hand over the papers, then his job would be done and he could go to bed.

Once he'd found the still agitated Yue and handed him the papers, Fern quickly turned around and left the room. He didn't know what was bugging the man, but he had a feeling it wasn't the fact that he had to deal with a bunch of paperwork like Mel thought. He'd known Yue longer than she had, so he knew that the head of the magic department wouldn't blow a fuse over something as commonplace as paperwork. No, he knew that couldn't be it, but…he had no idea what it _could _be.

Sighing, he made his way back to the room to make sure the new Master Wizard hadn't left her ink uncapped or some other such scatterbrained folly. After all, he knew that when she was tired, things tended to be left undone. Five years hadn't been able to change that…and neither had Yue's scolding, past or present.

Opening the door to the Master Wizard's office, Fern found the lights on and Mel still sitting, slouched over her desk. As he neared, wondering why she hadn't gone to bed yet, he heard the light, systematic breathing of someone who's asleep. Fern hit his head with the palm of his hand as he thought with exasperation, '_She fell asleep! Ug, she probably didn't put her ink away either. Shesh, I hope that idiot hasn't spilt any on herself. If she has, then-_'

Fern cut his thoughts off as he noticed that not only had she put the cap on her ink, but that she put everything away where it was supposed to go, leaving the desk she was slumped over empty. '_If she had the presence of mind to clean up, then she should have had the presence of mind to go to bed too. So why didn't she?_' Sighing, his hand reached out to shake her awake of its own accord. '_Well,_' he reasoned with himself, '_It's not like I could just leave her here._' He conveniently ignored the voice in the back of his head that said that if it had been anyone else, he very well _might _have.

When she finally opened her eyes groggily a minute later, Fern couldn't bite his tongue quick enough. "Are you stupid or something? Why didn't you go to your room? What if I hadn't come back and found you? You'd have…" Fern trailed off as he noticed that she was smiling tiredly at him. "What?"

Mel tilted her head, that smile still on her face as she answered sleepily, "I was waiting for you." Yawning, she stood up, "Guess I fell asleep…oh well." She started walking toward the door, but stopped halfway when she noticed that he hadn't moved. When she looked back at him, he could have sworn the room temperature went up a few degrees. He shook the feeling off and crossed the distance between them in a few quick steps, then walked beside her as she continued on her way down the silent hall.

Their rooms were across from each other (he _was _her body double after all, so he had to be nearby at all times), so they stopped in the middle of the hallway to say goodnight. Mel then turned and walked as if she were already asleep (maybe she was) to her room. Fern, however, didn't turn to go to his own room until after the lights went out in hers.

* * *

The next morning the castle was a madhouse as everyone from maid to politician prepared for the grand departure of the royal family and their new Master Wizard. Fern watched the fiasco from outside Mel's room, bored. Mel was with the princess in her room, talking about who-knows-what (when Seraphia had come to Mel's room, looking like she was about to cry, Mel had kicked him and Vaith out without any explanation). When Mel and Seraphia finally came out, the princess had a smile on her face, as if she'd never been sad.

Seeing this, Vaith said with a smile, "So you're finally back! What was that all about?" Fern could have hit his head against the wall. Vaith had no tact. Sure, _he'd _wanted to know too, but he wasn't stupid enough to come out and just ask! Especially not after they'd just been kicked out of the room.

The princess and Mel looked at each other, and for a moment, Fern feared they would yell at Vaith, but to his surprise, when they turned back to him and Vaith, they were smiling very suspicious smiles. "It's a secret!" They were completely in union. Without another word, they turned, arm in arm, and started walking away. Fern grimaced but followed; he'd never understand girls.

There was a short breakfast, the king gave a speech, and then they were on the road. Merleawe's horse walked calmly between the king and Seraphia's while the three of them smiled and waved at the people who had gathered to see them off. Vaith and his men rode on either side of the procession, making sure that the pedestrians stayed off the road.

Fern rode just behind Mel, keeping his eyes out for any sign of danger; not that he expected any. Glancing at Mel's carefree smile, he was glad that she, at least, didn't seem on edge, unlike Yue. Glancing behind him, Fern was just able to catch sight of the top of Yue's head farther back. He'd been talking to that annoying cadet of his-what was his name…oh, yeah, Lecto-he'd been talking to Lecto quietly since before they'd left, that air of tension around him no less suffocating than it had been the night before.

Continuing to look around, Fern wished that Glenn would have been able to come. Glenn was one of the few people who could deal with an agitated Yue (Mel could too, but only if she noticed that something was wrong…which she hadn't), but sadly he had other priestly duties that he couldn't put aside, and thus was staying behind. Another reason Fern wished Glenn could have come was because of how downtrodden Mel had looked, even if only for a moment, when she'd heard the news.

Truly, if Fern could have had his way, Glenn and Lecto would have switched places…and not just because Lecto was encouraging Yue's behavior, either. It was also because he didn't like Yue's aide. Maybe it was because of how they first met five years ago (Lecto was practically _stalking _Mel), or maybe it was because he claimed that he and Mel were best friends (surly Fern was closer to her than that stuck-up fool ever could be), or, possibly, it was because Lecto had hugged Mel when he found out that not only had she returned, but that she was to be the Master Wizard (really, what gave him the right).

A glance behind told Fern that the gray haired annoyance was looking at Mel again. Turning back around, he found his hands clenched. Well, whatever the cause, Fern didn't like the guy-at all-and wished he had stayed behind.

* * *

The sun was setting when the party rode into a town similar in size to the capital. Mel smiled warmly at the people and waved as she passed by, just as she had been doing all day. It became a little tedious after a while, but Mel didn't mind; the hope and happiness that she saw on the peoples' faces was enough to make up for it. Still, she was grateful when they finally pulled into a large inn for the night. As she watched Seraphia and her grandfather dismount, Mel noted wryly that she wasn't the only one.

Only after the king and his heir had both feet on the ground did she slide from her own saddle. After handing over her horses reins to one of the many attendants, Mel took a few steps back so that she could watch the procession without being in anyone's way. The king and the princess were talking to the innkeeper, thanking him for allowing them to stay the night. Mel smiled to herself as the man bowed repeatedly with a huge smile on his face as if this were a dream come true. Everything had been booked in advanced, but still, it was probably one thing to know your king would be coming, and another to see him actually arrive.

"He's probably ecstatic over how much money he'll make in just one day."

Mel glanced at Fern. She hadn't heard him approach, but she wasn't overly surprised, "I really doubt that." Turning to scan the ever growing crowd, she added, "You're too pessimistic, Fern." Mel waved as she caught sight of Vaith nearing them.

Fern scoffed, "Yeah, and you're too _optimistic_." Mel rolled her eyes, but it was Vaith who gave a retort.

"Tisk-tisk, would you _really _have her any other way?" He didn't even wait for an answer as he ruffled Ferns hair, "Of course you wouldn't-ouch! You didn't need to hit my hand!" Mel watched with amusement as the two of them started glaring at each other while slinging retorts back and forth. This went on for some time, long enough for her to be joined by Seraphia and Lecto.

Pushing up his glasses, Lecto asked incredulously, "Is this normal? I mean, he's the commander-in-chief, isn't he?"

"Yes…", Seraphia giggled, "…to _both _questions." Motioning towards the bickering pair, the princess added with a smile, "Vaith just never quite grew up, and Fern, well…Fern just has an attitude."

The crowd had almost completely disappeared inside when Mel finally stepped between the two with a laugh, "Ok, that's enough for now. You guys can play some more _after _we eat." At the mention of food, Vaith's stomach growled. Without another word, he saluted them and ran inside like a child after sweets.

Mel glanced at Lecto as he made a choking noise, obviously taken aback by Vaith's rather unceremonious departure. While trading glances, both Mel and Seraphia lost their composure and burst out laughing.

* * *

The next day the procession continued on. This time, however, Mel only rode up front when they were nearing a town, which seemed to be happening less and less the farther from the capital they went. The rest of the time she and Seraphia dropped back to talk with Fern, Lecto, and, when he was free to talk, Vaith.

Yue, apparently, still had that burr stuck under his tail, and was glaring at anyone who approached him. At first Mel had thought about going back to try to find out what was wrong, but then Lecto had ridden forward to join them, making her think otherwise. If Yue was in a mood that was bad enough to make even Lecto leave his side, then it probably wasn't something _she _could handle.

"Speaking of Yue." Mel said after Lecto finished explaining to the princess how he'd come to have his position, "Do you have any idea as to why he's been acting so strange lately?" Lecto just shook his head no, then opened his mouth to respond when Fern scoffed.

"You don't even know that! Some aide _you _are!"

"Fern!" Both girls glared at him, but he didn't seem to be affected. It didn't help that Vaith was laughing in the background.

Shrugging, Fern added, "Well, it's true." The glares only intensified. "Hey, if you don't know your master, you're not going to be much help." Then, with a smirk in Lecto's direction, he added, "Maybe _I_ know _Mel _better than _you _know Yue. Heh, and you've been working together for _how many years_?"

Lecto's face went pale, then red as he sputtered in response, "Wh-what… Y-you… Wh-what gives you the right to say something like that!" Lecto was now shouting, "I do too know Mr. Yue!" He paused, noticing that the people around them were giving him strange looks, then lowered his voice to add, "Besides, what does that has to do with you knowing Merleawe."

Suddenly the girls paled: Lecto wasn't in a high enough position to know about the Hahze acting as body doubles. Quickly Mel made her horse step in-between Fern and Lecto's, "Come now you two, let's not fight." Turning to Lecto she added as the princess and Vaith dragged Fern away behind her, "Fern's been my friend since I first came to Viegald, which is what he was probably referring to."

The princess quickly returned alone, her face flushed. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him…but please forgive Fern. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

Lecto must have noticed the pleading in her voice, for all traces off anger faded from his face and he said with a small smile, "I understand…"

Mel dropped back and let the two continue talking, but her mind was elsewhere. What was going on with Fern? Why did he seem to be so against Lecto? It made no sense. If she didn't know better, she'd say he hated the guy…but why would he? There was no reason…

…was there?

* * *

Hello, this is JUCHKO speaking. I know Magical x Miracle on is currently a small and rather unknown category, but I hope that will change soon. I've wanted to write a story to this since the first book came out (in America), but back then, there was no category for it, and thus I couldn't. That, however, has finally changed!

I don't know how long this story will be, nor how often I'll be updating (I've been very busy lately), but so long as people like the story and review, I will continue working on it.

Oh, and for those of you who read Naruto fanfics, you may recognize me as the author of 'A Continuous Circle', and 'And the Circle Comes Round'…if you don't recognize the titles, but do read Naruto, then please think about looking into my other two stories. (Hey, a bit of self advertisement never hurt anyone!)

As with my other stories, I will gladly accept reviews, constructive criticism and people going to my DeviantART page (there's a link on my profile). Anyone who reviews, signed in or anonymous, will be given thanks on my pretty list in the next chapter.


	2. Hurdles

**Disclaimer:** I'm baaaaack! Did you miss me (despite the fact that I don't own)?

**Chapter 2: Hurdles **

That evening as everyone was settling in, Mel pulled the unusually quiet Fern aside. When he and Vaith had finally returned, he'd refused to speak to anyone unless he absolutely had to. "Fern, please don't sulk." Fern just gave her a look that said 'I'm _not _sulking'. "Fine, glowering then--quit glowering…besides, there was no harm done, so…everything's fine."

Mel sighed, feeling a little hurt. Fern wasn't even looking at her…she felt like she was talking to a brick wall, "Look, no one's mad, no one's hurt, and no one has found out things they shouldn't know…so…could we please just get over it and move on?" No answer. Looking down at her feet, Mel tried once more, "Please…can't we go back to how things were be--" Suddenly Mel squeaked as Fern flicked her nose.

Looking up, she recognized his infamous smirk. "You don't need to be so sappy about it; I heard you the first time."

Mel mock-glared at the red-head. He was making fun of her, but at least he was back to normal. "Well then, you should have said something!" Mel paused as they heard the bell ring, calling them to dinner. She then grabbed Fern's hand and, with a smile, exclaimed, "Come on, we better hurry or else Vaith may eat it all before we get there!" She then set off at a run, forcing Fern to follow behind her. She never saw the blush that momentarily captured Fern's face.

* * *

Yue waited for his office to empty of politicians before motioning for Lecto to close the door. From his desk, he watched as his young cadet did so; his mind going back to what an informant had told him earlier. It wasn't until Lecto cleared his throat that Yue noticed he'd gotten lost in thought.

"I've just got word…and it does nothing but worry me more." Sitting back in his chair, Yue sighed, "There's unrest on the border, though that's to be expected, and there's unrest in Viegald…which is the root of _our _problem, I do believe." Leaning forward, he added, "Rumors of the kind I previously told you about are spreading like wildfire among the citizens. I doubt most people will believe them, especially after they see the procession, however…"

"However the radical groups are a different story all together." Lecto finished where Yue had left off. "I understand that, but we have taken actions to combat this, should it happen, have we not?"

There was a moment of silence before Yue reluctantly replied, "Yes…of course we have…but you can't prepare for everything." The silence returned; even Lecto couldn't argue against that. After a long while of just sitting there in silence, Yue sighed and changed the subject, "I'll hear your report now."

Lecto bowed, then did as ordered, "Things aren't too bad, but I have met some…hurdles…so to speak."

Yue raised an eyebrow, "Surely Merleawe isn't hindering you."

Slowly Lecto shook his head, "No, not her…nor the princess…but Fern…he seems to have something against me. This morning he was trying to draw me into an argument, something about him knowing Mel better than me knowing you. And after Vaith took him aside for awhile, he returned to ride with us, but he barely spoke a word." Lecto paused a moment, before deciding to add, "The rest of the day he spent glaring at me…as well as, on occasions, the princess, and Vaith. Mel, the only person who _didn't _get involved in his childish tantrum, was the only one he _wasn't _glaring at."

Yue remained silent, apparently contemplating something while looking at his intertwined hands. To Lecto's surprise, when Yue finally looked up, there was a glint in his eyes. There was to be no explanation however, as Yue dismissed him with a flick of his hand and a curt nod.

Glancing back as he closed the door, Lecto could have sworn he saw a smirk on Yue's face.

* * *

Seraphia sat next to Mel at the small oval table laden with food, listening intently to Lecto explain the complex workings of mage networks. Every once in a while, Mel would add something, but for the most part she let Lecto do the talking. Fern was there too, but he was pointedly ignoring Lecto. Whatever Mel had done when she went out to get him must have had some effect, though, because he was no longer glaring, as he had been all day.

"You see, mage networks don't necessarily have to be entirely composed of mages. A good example of one would be the Volunteer Doctor Organization--" Lecto cut off his spiel and turned to Mel suddenly, a light that disturbed Seraphia shining in his eyes, "Ah, yes, I just remembered! Mel, you could explain things so much more easily about the V.D.O., since you had a hand in creating it."

Mel, unfortunately, having just taken a bite of food, was unable to say anything. Seraphia watched, trying not to laugh as Mel waved her arms franticly, obviously trying to decline Lecto's offer of the lime light. Turning back to Lecto, her smile fell. Lecto still had that look in his eye as he watched Mel flail.

"Come now, you would know the most about it." Pushed Lecto, apparently having not noticed the meaning of Mel's gestures, "You must tell the princess how--" The sound of Fern's cup being slammed down cut the grey-haired boy off. Everyone turned to look, but when Fern finally spoke, it was to Mel, not Lecto.

"Don't let this nincompoop order you around…you 'must' do nothing if you don't want to." Silence followed his statement. Seraphia glanced first at Lecto, who was bristling at being called a nincompoop, and then at Mel, who was struggling to swallow. She hadn't expected that…none of them had. If anything, Seraphia would have thought that Fern would have blown his top at Lecto, throwing insults and tableware at the cause of his irk. But no…he'd not only spoken civilly (and left the cutlery in place), but it actually made sense (short of the nincompoop part, that is)!

All eyes turned to a blushing Mel as she took a sip of water before speaking, "I thank you for your concern, Fern…though I do believe you should refrain from calling Lecto a nincompoop. He's smarter than me; he graduated at the top of our class." Fern opened his mouth to protest, but to Seraphia's surprise, Mel stopped him before he even got one word out. "_My _graduating position isn't what matters, the point is that he is _not _a nincompoop."

The silence returned, this time with Fern and Mel looking at each other. It took a moment for Seraphia to realize that they were somehow continuing their discussion without words. Once she'd noticed this, she quickly turned to Lecto to see what he thought about it…and then whished she hadn't. Once again she thought she saw that same look from before cross his face as he looked on.

Quickly turning back to Mel, Seraphia would have broken the silence if Fern hadn't beaten her to it. "Humph! Fine…" The young Hahze then turned all his attention to his food, once again ignoring them.

Mel sighed, catching Seraphia's eye, she gave her a what's-done-is-done smile, then turned to Lecto. "I'm afraid there's not too much I can tell you. I only helped bring the organizations together as one; I'm not their leader or anything like that. If you really wanted information on them, you'd have to find, Lou Hon, who was elected as their leader right before I left to deal with other matters." Lecto's face fell.

Seraphia felt her heart twinge at this, so quickly she changed the subject, "Oh, have you heard about the plans for my birthday. You are all invited, of course!" The tense atmosphere dissipated, and as Seraphia explained the details, she caught the knowing look on Mel's face. It took all her composure not to do anything that would give away her embarrassment.

* * *

Later that evening Seraphia found herself in Merleawe's room. The two of them were sitting on the bed, talking about the day. Seraphia had been mentally debating on whether or not to raise the subject that had been weighing on her heart, but Mel made the decision for her. "What was that look for at dinner? For a moment there you looked like someone had told you your horse had died."

Seraphia looked down at her lap, blushing despite herself as she whisper, "Lecto…"

"Ah, I see…it _would _be him again." The last time the princess had come to her room practically in tears had been when she'd thought Lecto was in love with Yue. Mel had, of course, quickly pointed out that Lecto only worshiped the man, and that he acted the same towards him now as he had five years ago when he'd still never met him. She'd also felt it necessary to point out that if negotiations with Caldia went through alright, then Yue may not be single for very much longer.

These had quelled the princess's worries, and Mel had thought that that was end of it. Apparently she had been wrong. "Ok…well, why don't you start off by telling me the problem?"

Seraphia twisted her hands in her lap as she gave her quiet answer, looking Mel in the eye, "I think…that Lecto is…in love with…" The last part she whispered too quietly for Mel to catch, but the look on her face was enough to tell the young Master Wizard who it had been.

Mel slapped her forehead, "Not this again!" This outburst made the princess jump. She hadn't expected that type of reaction. Mel flopped back on the bed, covering her eyes with her arm as she exclaimed, "I swear: everyone gets that idea about us!"

She then shot up again, stretching out her hand to pat Seraphia on the knee, "People have had the absurd idea that he was in love with me since we were in our first year of school together. I don't see why in the world anyone would think that," she paused, then added, "begging your pardon. But I assure you that is _not _the case. His feelings for me are similar to…though admittedly not the same as…his feelings for Yue. Whatever they are, though, they are definitely not love!"

A mix between a sigh of relief and a yawn escaped the princess, causing Mel to giggle, "Well, it's late, and we have to leave early again tomorrow, so it may be time for you to go to bed." Slipping off the bed, she gave Mel a hug goodnight, then started shuffling towards the door. Right before she opened it though, Mel called out lightly, "Goodnight…miss love-struck-princess."

Seraphia answered without turning around, "Goodnight miss always-forgets-to-call-me-by-name." She then swept out the door with a smile before Mel could come up with a retort.

As she walked away down the hall, she could have sworn she heard Fern's voice come from somewhere, saying "It took you long enough."

* * *

The doors appeared to have barely closed before they were opened once more. Turning as she continued to brush her hair, Mel saw Fern walking towards her, his hands in his pockets as if he were bored. "What was _that _about?" Mel just gave a small smile and continued what she was doing without answering. "So you're not going to tell me this time either, eh?" Fern asked without a hint of surprise as he leaned against the wall beside her.

"Nope!" Glancing at him, she found the corners of his mouth were turned down in a well hidden frown. Sighing she sat the brush down and leaned against the wall beside him, "Ah, come on Fern, this isn't like you." She got no response. With another sigh, she added, "Would it make you feel better to know I've been sworn to secrecy by Seraphia--no, the _princess_. Would you really have me disobey the heir to the throne?"

There was silence again, but this time when Mel looked at Fern, she found that he was covering a smirk. "You--" Mel lightly hit his shoulder as next she exclaimed, "You're picking on me again!"

"And you hit like a girl."

"I _am _a girl!"

There came a momentary pause, and then they both burst out laughing. It was nice to be able to be together, to laugh together…just as they had in the past. She'd really missed him these past three years, and when she'd found out that her dreaded body double (she'd probably been as happy about it as Sylth had) was to be none other than her best friend, she'd been ecstatic.

Pushing away from the wall, Mel went and sat on her bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and motioning for Fern to join her. "Come on, we haven't talked much, just the two of us, since we were reunited. You probably know more about what's happened to me over the years than I do about you thanks to the media; so why don't you tell me about what's gone on around you?"

Fern hesitated a moment, then sat on the very edge of the bed, looking tense. It took a little coaxing, but eventually she got him talking. The more he told her about what had gone on when he'd returned to his hometown, the worse she felt about not having talked to him about this sooner. What kind of friend was she? "I'm so sorry, Fern." Scooting closer, she hugged him, trying to keep herself from crying about his misfortune and pain.

He gave a scoff that sounded more like a sigh as he lightly whapped the back of her head. "You've got nothing to be sorry for, so don't be." He looked at her as she disentangled herself from him. As he caught site of her poorly hidden distress, he sighed for real. "We should probably talk about something else…why not about you? You're wrong to think I've heard of _everything_ that you've been doing, only bits and pieces."

Mel grinned at him, though they both knew it was only halfhearted, "Fine then, what do you want to hear about?"

* * *

"And so Elder said th--" Fern cut himself off when Mel's head landed on his shoulder, almost making him jump out of his skin. Glancing at her, his face red, he found that she had fallen asleep sitting up. Fighting back his blush, he grumbled to himself quietly, "Great…just great. What am I supposed to do now?"

Moving very slowly, so as not to wake her, Fern laid her down on her bed and pulled the covers over her. For a moment his hand reached out of its own accord, as if to stroke her hair, but he abruptly pulled back. Shaking, and trying to hide it, he rushed out of her room and into his own.

'_What was I thinking?_' Fern leaned against his door, his eyes in shadow as he banged his fist against the door and thought again, '_What in the world was I thinking?! Was I even thinking! Mel's…she's my _master_…we can be friends, but...I have no right to…to…_' Banging his fist harder this time, he whispered, "Dang it! This isn't right!" Pushing hard against the door, Fern made his way to a chair, and sat down, agitated with himself.

Glancing at the clock for the first time, he saw that it was long past midnight. Despite his attempt to hold it back, a small but warm smile lit on his lips. '_No wonder she fell asleep._'

* * *

Yay! I got more reviews than I'd thought I'd have for this! (Which is a good thing for you, since that means I'll be continuing this story!) I hope you like the little plot twists I've been putting in (as well as the story in its entirety, of course) and will continue to read and review!

I'll try to update relatively quickly, however I will not give exact dates for an update. The reason for this is because my schedule is so hectic, that I never know when I'll have time to write for fun. I'm hoping to make this story relatively short: around seven or so chapters. We will just have to wait and see if I succeed though, since short stories are not my strong point (and thus my 101 chapter 'Circle Series' -Naruto-).

Well, as I said before, **if you leave a review** (NOT a FLAME), I will put your name on here, and thus…here's my _pretty list_:

Thanks to: M-x-M, Random Reviewer, Mystic Mage-chan, Rebel of my Destiny, sqishy-muffin, Theblackroseofkonoha, Ivee Waterlilly, Ghille Dhu, & sweetie is me for reviewing!

P.S. Sui-chan, my editor/Beta said (about Fern's comment to Mel on Lecto) "Actually the nincompoop part made the most sense ^0^" …she said that…not me.


	3. Missing the Obvious

**Disclaimer**: Own: To have something as your property. Fan-fic: A story using characters and/or settings from a previously existing work by a fan of said work.

**Chapter 3: Missing the Obvious**

"Where did I put that hairbrush? I know I just had it!" Mel scoured her room, looking for the elusive item. The princess, having finished her own packing earlier had come to have a 'girl talk' (aka: Lecto talk) again, but ended up being enlisted in helping her look for her missing brush. They were to leave soon, and for the life of her, Mel just couldn't think of where she'd placed her brush. "Ugg!" Flustered, she tugged on her hair, "If I don't find it soon, I'll have to leave it behind. And I just bought it, too!"

Beside her, the princess giggled, "Oh, Mel, what are we to do with you?"

"That's a good question." Both girls jumped and turned as Fern added from the open doorway with a smirk, "Are you _sure _you're cut out to be the Master Wizard, Mel?"

Seraphia, angry at having been intruded upon--what if she'd been talking about Lecto instead of Mel--groped around for the object nearest her and hurtled it at Fern, yelling, "The door was closed for a reason!" Fern easily caught the projectile as the princess added, "And you didn't even knock!"

"Well, _sorry_." Fern said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Then glancing at what Seraphia had thrown at him, he smirked, and tossed it to Mel, "Here, this was what you were looking for, wasn't it." It wasn't a question.

Mel caught the hairbrush and stuffed it in her bag. "Thanks you two!" With a big smile, she swung her pack on her back, and then reaching for both their hands, started dragging them out of the room, saying, "Now that we've found it, we better hurry, or his Majesty may leave without us!" That wasn't true, and they all knew it, but Mel felt that this would be the only way to make sure it was only the _argument _that was killed. After all, Fern had yet to come to understand that it's best _not _to argue with a PMS-ing girl.

Once outside, Mel dropped her friends' hands, allowing each of them to mount their own horse. Both parties were being silent…which could be either a good or bad thing, depending on the reasons why. Looking up at the cloudy sky from her saddle, Mel sighed and whispered to herself, "I hope it doesn't rain."

* * *

The rain amazingly had held off so far, but the stormy atmosphere was doing nothing to help her companions' dispositions. Mel sat in her saddle like a sack of potatoes as she watched Seraphia and Fern arguing ahead of her--something they had been doing since they'd set off five hours ago. Lecto had somehow avoided being drawn into the mess, and was riding beside Mel. A quick glance told her that his eyes were fixated on Seraphia. Mel suppressed a smile and thought, '_Now, if only I could get them to be alone together._'

"el--Mel!" Mel just barely refrained from jumping out of her skin as Lecto practically yelled in her ear over a strong gust of wind.

"Sorry." Turning to him, she added, "I was thinking about some things and couldn't hear you. What is it?" Lecto didn't say anything, and instead pointed to the road ahead of them, where, far in the distance, there appeared to be something blocking the road.

Mel's eyebrows narrowed as thoughts swirled through her head. From here, they couldn't tell what that 'something' was, and that would have to change before his majesty and the princess got too near to it. Once they knew what it was, the appropriate action could be taken. If it was dangerous, then the whole party would have to be stopped until the danger was taken care of. If it was innocent, it would have to be evacuated from the road before the rest of the party reached it.

All these thoughts only took a moment for Mel to process. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Vaith talking to a few of his guards. "Lecto, please get Yue and tell him that I would appreciate it if he would come to the forefront with Vaith and I to see what can be done up ahead." Lecto nodded, and began to turn his horse around, when Mel added, "Oh, and after that, would you please return to the king and princesses side…in case something happens while we're gone." Lecto nodded curtly rather than yell over the rising wind, and then left to do as he'd been told.

By now, both Seraphia and Fern had noticed what was going on, and were silently looking at Mel. "Princess, please stick close to his Majesty." Seraphia nodded, for once not pointing out that she would rather be called by her name. "Fern…I may need your help…so would you please come with me?"

Fern, being Fern, smirked and retorted, "Well, duh! Of course I'm coming. I'd follow you even if you told me not to!"

Mel rolled her eyes, "Whatever…let's go." Maneuvering around the few people ahead of them, Mel and Fern quickly joined up with Vaith and ten of his men. They were soon joined by Yue, and then they spurred their horses into a run.

As they neared, Mel felt relieved. It wasn't some band of renegades or bandits. Instead it was a group of peasants struggling to remove an uprooted tree from the road. From beside her, she heard Fern say loudly over the wind, "Don't relax just yet. It could be a set up." Mel nodded rather than attempt to be heard over the ever increasing wind. Fern had a valid point. She doubted this was a ploy, but better safe than sorry.

When the people on the road noticed them, they dropped what they were doing and quickly moved. Obviously fearing that Mel and her companions were dangerous, they clustered together to one side of the road. Everyone, that is, except one young woman whose foot was apparently caught under the tree. She desperately tried to rock the tree off her, but without everyone else's help, she could do nothing, and her foot stayed trapped.

Dismounting, Mel caught Fern's eye, then approached the woman who began to struggle even more. Tears were falling down her face as the woman looked at Mel like she was a witch bent on destroying her. Continuing forward slowly, Mel put both her hands in front of her, palm up, indicating that she had no weapons. The woman didn't seem to calm at all, continuing to jerk wildly at her leg.

Mel heard a crack, and instantly knew she had waited too long. Speeding forward, hand extended, Mel whispered a sleeping spell. Catching the woman before she fell, Mel turned to Fern, who had, of course, followed her, and motioned for him to hold her upright. Once she was free again, Mel saw that the woman's companions looked ready to either bolt or charge her. The thing that was probably stopping them from doing so was the line Vaith's men had made between them and her. Shaking off their angry and fearful glances, she turned her attention to the problem in front of her.

Summoning up her power, Mel wove a complicated air spell around the tree. After what felt like forever, one end of the tree began to lift into the air, until the woman's foot was visible. Without prompting, Fern moved the woman's foot out from under the tree, allowing Mel to slowly lower the tree once more. When finally she was done, Mel repressed a sigh, instead opting to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Lifting such a heavy object was not an easy thing to do.

Hearing a commotion, Mel looked at the group of villagers. They were all whispering at once while glancing, or in one case, pointing, in her direction. Shaking her head, Mel turned back to the unconscious woman who was now laying on the ground as Yue dismounted and approached her. Mel didn't wait for him. Kneeling down for a closer inspection, she found what she had expected to. Not only was the woman's foot turning purple, but her leg didn't look quite right either.

"That leg's broken." Yue's stoic voice sounded from behind her. Mel nodded as he continued, "It had probably already been fractured, but all that struggling is what really did it in."

"I agree." Looking at Fern, she added, "Would you break off two sticks about this big," Mel motioned with her hands, "for me? We'll need to do basic first aid before she wakes up. Somehow I don't think she'd like to be awake as we set her bone."

Fern made a face as he turned to the tree, "She'd probably start screaming and thrashing and break something else." Mel didn't respond, instead receiving a roll of linen from Yue and then waiting to be handed the branches. Once she had both, Mel looked at Yue, expecting him to want to set the bone, however he was looking at the crowd of peasants, an odd expression on his face. Shrugging it off, Mel did it herself, then placed the sticks on either side of the woman's leg and wrapped the linen around them tightly, making a temporary cast.

"That will have to do for now." Standing up, Mel dusted herself off, and then turned to look at the now quiet crowd. Moving forward cautiously past the line of Black Knights, she felt Fern behind her and was comforted. She couldn't be sure of how these people would react when she spoke to them, but Fern's presence gave her courage.

"Your friend is fine, and she should be waking up soon. I apologize if I frightened you with my sudden appearance, however if I had not taken immediate action, I fear her injuries would have been far worse." The group's faces showed mainly relief, however that relief was of a grade much higher than her actions or explanation should have brought.

Suddenly Mel instinctively knew that something else had frightened them, something more sinister than a stranger nearing a pinned down friend; however, Mel did not know what that 'something' was, and she knew better than to bring it up to these skittish people. Glancing over her shoulder at Fern, she knew that he had noticed it too. Returning her gaze to those in front of her, she decided to offer for their group to help the villagers move the tree.

In the end, after much cajoling and kind words, they did help them remove the tree from the road. As Mel had expected, they were ordinary people--despite their previous abnormal reactions--just trying to clear the road; in spite of this, though, Fern refused to leave her side. His behavior struck Mel as slightly odd, but she pushed it aside as him just being overly cautious. And she couldn't blame him for that, after their earlier behavior. After all, she reasoned, his official job _was _to protect her.

* * *

Lecto rode silently beside Seraphia, easily perceiving her anxiety. He was worried about Mel as well, but he figured she was safe with Yue and Fern there to protect her--he really couldn't bring himself to put much faith in Vaith, but those two should be enough. He was about to point this out to the princess, when he heard hoof beats nearing them.

Looking away from the princess, Lecto caught sight of riders topping a nearby hill, thirteen to be exact. For a moment, Lecto's breath caught in his throat. Why were they one rider short? Had something happened? But then he noticed that one horse held two people, and he felt relief swamp him. Yue cantered ahead of the others, reining up in front of the king and started to explain what had happened up ahead.

By the time Yue had finished, the others had rejoined the party. To Lecto's surprise, it was Mel and Fern who were sharing a horse, something Yue's tail had not explained. Before he could say anything about it, though, Seraphia did, "Where's your horse, Mel?"

"I lent it to the woman who's leg was broken, since she couldn't walk. We'll be passing through their village anyway, so we can retrieve it then. And Fern offered to let me ride with him, so it's not really inconveniencing me."

The princess giggled but didn't explain why as she continued to look at the two. "Well, I'm glad things worked out for you." Was it just him, or was Seraphia pointedly saying that to Fern, not Mel?

Mel, obviously not noticing what Lecto had, retorted, "I'm glad too. At first I was afraid that the villagers were going to mob me or something." Mel moved one hand to her chin, her eyebrows furrowing as she added, "They almost looked like they thought I was a monster, or a mass murderer." She then shrugged openly, a smile returning to her face, "Oh well, they got over it after I helped that woman. They probably didn't know I was the new Master Wizard."

Lecto just looked at Mel stoically, even as she almost fell out of the saddle due to waiving her arms frantically at something Seraphia had said and was caught by Fern behind her. She was the strangest mix of perceptive and oblivious Lecto had ever seen. She'd discerned that these people were afraid of her, but somehow thought that it was because they didn't know who she was. How could they _not_ know who she was? She was traveling with a squad of Black Knights, Vaith and Yue on the day the king was supposed to arrive to show off his new Master Wizard.

She was a very interesting person. Yue often spoke highly of her, something he rarely did for anyone. Seraphia looked up to her, almost as if they were sisters. In some ways, he sometimes felt that she was more brilliant than him. And then there were times when she would completely overlook the obvious, coming up instead with a better, or happier, possibility. She was overly optimistic…which could put her in danger.

Watching Fern lecture Mel, Lecto eventually came to the conclusion that Fern did, indeed, understand what had really happened. Unlike Mel, he knew that it hadn't been a simple case of fearing a stranger…but he obviously hadn't informed Mel. After another moment's thought, it became clear to Lecto as to why. Fern didn't know exactly why they had acted as they did…and he probably didn't want to worry Mel unnecessarily.

For a moment, Lecto contemplated telling Fern what he knew, but quickly decided against it. Yue had specifically ordered him to not tell anyone about the rumors going around. Fern would protect her if anything happened, and he was already overly vigilant, so there was no point in warning him. Lecto didn't understand why Yue felt he should stay near Mel while they were on procession.

For reasons Lecto didn't know and couldn't figure out for the life of him, Fern was always around Mel. She didn't _need_ a bodyguard. She practically already _had_ one.

* * *

There, I hope you liked it. I'm so sorry for such a long wait, but a lot of things have been going on, such as finals being soon, having company over, and getting sick with bronchitis. I'm afraid things will continue to be hectic for the next month or so, but I will continue to try to find time to type. I promise you, I will not quit writing this in the middle of the story. I absolutely hate it when people do that, and I can't stand to leave a story hanging.

Now, the plot thickens. What are the rumors going around? Why is Yue so worried? Will something happen when they get to the village?

Please review, critique and/or visit my Deviant ART page…just don't flame…you don't want to know what would happen to you. (Hint: Envision Francis and his little music box with you, or some other unfortunate flamer, being duck-taped to a chair while he tries to teach you to sing his theme song) Now, let's move on to my _pretty list_!

Thanks to:Mystic Mage-chan, M-x-M, Rebel of my Destiny, Theblackroseofkonoha, wild angel eyes, Ivee Waterlilly, SnowWolfSpirit, cheer up emo kd, suzely, & iNsAnE nO bAkA for reviewing!


	4. The Approaching Storm

Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I don't own M-X-M, and you knew that too.

**Chapter 4: The Approaching Storm**

Yue watched from a distance as Mel was saved from falling off the horse she was currently riding by Fern. He then hid a grin as he witnessed Fern chide Mel. Even from here, he could tell that he wasn't really angry…and he could guess that Fern wasn't really worried that Mel would fall off, since he was right behind her.

"What 'cha smiling about?" Yue's grin instantly vanished as he turned to look at Vaith with a blank look. "Come on, tell me! What's so interesting over there?" Vaith shaded his eyes as he looked where Yue had been. "What? Does Fern have something on his face or something? Or were you looking at the stalker-kid?"

Yue twitched, "You really need to grow up. Besides, Lecto isn't a stalker."

Vaith pointed a finger at Yue as he exclaimed childishly, "So you _were _looking at him?!"

"No," Vaith opened his mouth, but before he could say anything more childish than he already had, Yue interjected wearily, "You would be able to notice what I was looking at if you actually sobered up and paid attention for once." Vaith grumbled something about not being drunk--yet--but Yue spoke over him, "Just watch them for a bit…even _you _should be able to see it. In the meantime, let's continue moving forward. We'll have to hurry to make it to the town we're supposed to stay in for the night.

To his surprise, Vaith actually listened to him for once. As the procession continued on it's way, Vaith and Yue dropped back so that they were behind the foursome; close enough to overhear, but not close enough to appear to be listening in, according to Vaith. He then kept his eyes on them, searching for whatever it was that had made Yue's stoic mask slip.

At first Yue was impressed that Vaith had decided to find out on his own; but after five minutes of him still not figuring it out, Vaith looked like he was about to give up. Then something happened up ahead that made Vaith whistle, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

* * *

Lecto had been speaking for a while now about his time in school, but the subject of conversation had changed. "Has Merleawe told you about what happened in our second year? Well, she was in charge of the winter dance, and--"

Mel interrupted sheepishly, glancing at Seraphia, "Lecto! You don't need to tell them--"

Lecto interrupted her interruption, "And she put all her efforts into making it great. She worked outside so much during the days right before the dance that she caught a cold. That didn't stop her though," Mel tried once again to gently intercede, but as before, he just continued anyways. "she still continued to work on it. Then on the night of the dance, when she was supposed to declare who our classmates had voted into various positions, she--"

Mel was about to try again, when suddenly Fern growled from behind her, "Shut up, Four-Eyes, or are you deaf as well as blind? Mel told you to stop."

Mel, shocked by the ferocity in Fern's voice, quickly tried to swivel around to look at him. Of course, once again she forgot she was on a horse, and began to lose her balance. Unlike before, though, Fern was prepared. His hand that wasn't holding the reigns quickly wrapped around her waist, pulling her upright and closer to him. This time, he didn't let go.

Mel sighed, then tilted her head back against his chest so that she could look up and see his face (without the almost falling off part). "Thanks Fern, but please don't call Lecto that. It's rude."

Bringing her head back to a normal positioning she quickly added when she saw Lecto opening his mouth again, "To sum it up, I feinted on stage due to my fever and had to be carried out." She purposefully left out the fact that it had been Lecto who had been the one to carry her. She didn't think the princess would like to hear it.

Before Lecto pointed this exclusion out, Mel redirected the subject, "Why don't you tell the princess--er--uh--I mean--Seraphia--why don't you tell Seraphia about the award you got for saving that child from the river in our third year?" Lecto nodded, and after a brief pause, plunged into the tail. Mel mentally winced. Seraphia's glares could cut like knives. She really had to stop calling her 'princess'.

* * *

Vaith swung his head around towards Yue, his eyes and mouth wide open. He then started jabbing his finger at Mel and Fern, "He---he--he likes Mel?!" Vaith's utter shock was turning into mirth as he continued with a chuckle, "I don't believe it! To think Mr. Negative would--_with Mel_!" Vaith looked like he was convulsing with the laughter he was holding in. "She's like the embodiment of optimism! They're complete opposites!"

Glancing over at the two, Vaith's laughter faltered as he saw Mel's nonchalant reaction…if it could even be called a reaction. Turning back to Yue, his eyes wide once more, Vaith asked with a disbelieving tone, "She doesn't know?" Yue shook his head no. Vaith's jaw dropped, "How could she _not _know! It's obvious!" Yue sighed, but refrained from pointing out that Vaith hadn't noticed until jut now either…and he probably never _would_ have noticed if Yue hadn't pointed him in the right direction to begin with.

* * *

As they rode through the village, Mel felt the change in the people's attitudes like a change in temperature. Before they had cowered silently in fear and dislike, but now they lined the streets silently, their faces alight with awe and adoration. They were almost out of the village when Mel spotted the woman she had saved. The woman spotted her at about the same time, and immediately bowed (as much as her broken leg would allow) one arm outstretched with the horses reins.

Fern reined up his horse, then helped Mel get down. Once on the ground, Mel turned to the woman with a smile, "I'm glad to see you're ok, Miss…?"

The woman caught her cue and answered immediately, "Jena, if it pleases milady."

Mel smiled, but then noticed that Jena had yet to straighten out of her bow and that she was shaking. Reaching out to receive the reins, Mel also, in the same motion, helped the woman to stand upright, saying, "I thank you for returning my horse, Miss Jena. I hope you recover soon." Jena's eyes filled with tears as she nodded her head, at a loss for words.

Mel had just mounted her horse when Jena suddenly blubbered tearfully, "Thank you…oh thank you! You are truly merciful to one as ungrateful as I. I apologize for my action's, milady. Thank you so much for sparing me! I am truly sorry! I--"

Mel cut in gently, "You need not apologize, Miss Jena, for you have done nothing worth apologizing for." Jena looked taken aback, so Mel explained calmly, "You were frightened and in pain, Miss. And is it not my duty as the Master Wizard to help those whom I can? Even if I _wasn't _the Master Wizard, I still would have helped you, for that is the right thing to do." Mel then smiled widely at Jena, "Therefore I will accept your thanks…and your thanks alone." Turning her horse, Mel added as she began to walk away, "Have a good day, Miss Jena."

* * *

Fern made doubly sure he never left Mel's side after that. Jena's words along with what he'd already witnessed had struck a chord with him, warning him that something wasn't right in that town. Earlier Jena had been terrified of Mel, an now that she knew that Mel wasn't going to hurt her, Jena had said 'thank you for _sparing _me' not 'saving' but 'sparing'. That was not the kind of thing one would normally thank another for in this situation. Something was going on.

Watching Mel, Fern couldn't be sure whether or not she'd caught on to the situation. Like before, she was now talking to the princess, acting as if she didn't have a care in the world--which, he knew, was not the case. She had always been one to worry; especially about others…he just didn't know if she had noticed Jena's words about herself. If she had, she wasn't showing it.

Fern repressed a sigh; he'd have to wait until they were at the inn before he could bring it up with her. The wind was getting stronger, and he didn't feel like shouting his opinions to anyone who could hear. Fern glared up at the overcast sky, willing the clouds and the wind to go away. As if to spite him, the first sprinkle of rain began. By the time they reached the town with the inn, they were soaking wet.

Like a cat stuck out in the rain, Fern glared at everyone and everything. It was almost evening, and the rain had not let up in all of the six hours it had encompassed. In fact, he'd almost say it had gotten worse. Beside him, he heard first Mel and then the princess sneeze. Great, _just _what they needed. Stupid rain. He sent another glare up at the sky as an escort from the Inn began to show them through the town. Well, at least they'd all be inside soon.

Just then, a large bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed immediately by a large boom that seemed to shake the ground. The escort ignored it, continuing to speak to the party, or, at least to those who were paying attention, as he lead them along the twisting streets of the town. Fern ignored him, however, when he caught sight of Mel's face. It was filled with poorly hid worry. Riding closer, Fern asked quietly, so only she could hear, "What is it?"

At first, Mel didn't answer, then finally she motioned towards the direction of the lightning and said, "Is it just me, or did that not seem normal?"

"It was just lighting, Mel. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little storm like this!"

Mel glared at his mocking tone, "This isn't a joke, Fern! Something's not right! I can feel it."

Fern was about to comment, when suddenly the escort gasped, catching everyone's attention. The man, his face pale, was pointing in the same direction Mel had while sputtering, "It's on fire! The South District's on fire!" Turning, he quickly addressed the king, "Your Majesty, we must hurry away from this place, head farther north, to the Inn, before the panicked hordes start clogging up the street." The king nodded, and presently the party moved from a walk to gallop, following the escort closely.

The Inn was a madhouse as they arrived. Everyone dismounted at the same time, ignoring protocol in their search for either warm, dry, beds, or people who could tell them what they could do to help with the fire. On top of that, there were no hostlers to take the horses, so they just stood there in the courtyard, milling around in the rain and creating obstacles for people to have to pass.

By the time Fern had taken all this in, he saw that Mel was already halfway across the courtyard, yelling to him as she ran, "Fern, stay and protect the princess!" Fern tried calling after her, but she was already gone. Fern punched a wall, he had to follow Mel, but he knew she was right; the princess couldn't be left in this madhouse without someone to protect her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Lecto following Yue. Fern grabbed the four-eyed boy by the arm and dragged him away from Yue and over to where the princess was standing under an eve, shivering. Fern hastily ordered, jabbing a finger at Lecto "Stay and protect the princess." And then he was gone, trying to find where in this stupid maze of a town his master was hiding.

Fern sped through the increasingly busy streets, thankful for having the advantage of speed over Mel. She may have a head start, but he'd be able to catch up with her…that is, of course, if he could _find _her first. "Dang it, what the heck was that idiot thinking!" Fern mumbled angrily to himself as he flung himself around a corner, nearly knocking over a petite black haired woman.

Fern didn't even bother apologizing; it would be a waste of time. Instead he kept running towards the smoke, desperately looking for a flash of silver hair. Clenching his hands, Fern growled, "Didn't she even _think _about the fact that heading for the fire mean heading towards a panicked mob! Dang it, Mel, you idiot! You should have taken me with you!"

* * *

Lecto stood beside the princess, completely at a loss for words as he watched Fern disappear from the Inn. A sneeze from the princess brought him back to the present. "Your highness, you should go inside. You'll catch a cold if you stay out here."

Seraphia shook her head no, never tearing her gaze from the courtyard. "I'm worried about Mel."

"She'll be fine. Fern's going after her. He won't let anything happen to her. He's…" Lecto trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

After a few seconds, the princess said in a quiet voice, "Yeah, I know he'll keep her safe. He's in love with her, after all."

Lecto's eyes grew large behind his glasses as he asked disbelievingly, "He's _what_?"

Seraphia's face turned pink, "You mean you couldn't tell?"

Lecto shook his head, then after a pause, said embarrassedly, "Now that I think about it, that _would _explain a lot. No wonder he was always glaring at me." There followed a short silence, as both of them watched the lightning play in the distance, thinking about the other half of their foursome.

Finally Lecto sighed, placing a hand lightly on Seraphia's shoulder as if he expected it to be shrugged off. When it wasn't, he said quietly, "Let's go inside. They won't come back any faster just because you're standing out in the rain waiting for them." The princess hesitated, so Lecto hastily added, "Please, Seraphia, I don't want you catching a cold."

Without thinking, he had used her name, but Seraphia didn't seem offended. Instead she put on a weak smile, her face pink (did she have a fever?!), and nodded. "You're right, like always." Then she shivered, making Lecto frown. He'd have offered her his coat, if it wasn't already soaking wet. Having read this on his face, however, Seraphia laughed, "Thanks Lecto. Let's go inside before we both freeze to death out here."

* * *

Mel pushed herself through the crowed, hurrying in the direction of the smoke. She had to get to and help with the fire, which had probably been caused by a lightning strike. Her magic could be a lot of help with putting the flame out, or at least keeping it away from other houses. She was the Master Wizard, after all, she couldn't just stand by and watch. She had to do _something_.

Mel hurried down the streets, noticing the farther south she went, the older and shabbier the buildings. After a certain point, she also noticed that the buildings were now entirely made out of wood. That was not good, _definitely _not good. It just meant there would be more fuel for the blaze that she could now see arching over a nearing roof.

Turning a corner quickly, Mel caught sight of at least two more houses ablaze nearby before she ran into something or more to the point _someone_ she hadn't seen. Mel flailed, and was about to fall when a large hand reached out and grabbed her arm. As she regained her balance, she heard a deep bass voice resonate from the person still holding her arm.

"Oh, and what do we have here?"

* * *

There, I've finally finished the chapter. Sorry for the long wait, but I was on vacation. I hope you liked the chapter, even though it may be a bit short (though it's not _too _bad). I was trying to finish it quickly so that I could get this up as soon as possible for all my fans. If there are mistakes I missed, I apologize and ask that you tell me what and where they are so that I may fix them. Thank you.

Will Fern find Merleawe? Will Lecto ever notice Seraphia's feelings? What's going to happen to Mel? Tell me, what do you think is going to happen next?

Reviews, constructive criticisms and people going to my DeviantART account are welcome to a gingerbread man! Flamers, however, being innately horrible cooks, shall be banned from all my facilities. Now, let's move on to the _pretty list_!

Thanks to: Rebel of my Destiny, iNsAnE nO bAkA, Theblackroseofkonoha, Mystic Mage-chan, wild angel eyes, Ivee Waterlilly (thank you very much), M-x-M, cheer up emo kd, BlackMoonTiger, AnimeCrystalPearl & RebelAngel91210 for reviewing!


	5. The Errors of Stereotyping

Disclaimer: False pretenses are only my style when it comes to cliffhangers. AKA: I don't own.

**Chapter 5: The Errors of Stereotyping**

"_Oh, and what do we have here?"_

Mel looked up, and up, and up at the man whose face was hidden by the shadows. He was large, _very _large. Lightning lit up the streets, illuminating his face as he spoke again, "Well, if it isn't The Silver Haired Saint." A deep rumble of a laugh escaped the giant of a man as he made sure she was balanced before releasing her arm. "Merleawe, it's great to see you, but what in the name of all that's good are _you _doing _here_? Last I heard, you were headed to Caldia!"

A smile exploded across Mel's face as she flung her arms around the man, "Lou!" Taking a step back she exclaimed, "It feel's like it's been forever!" Another flash of lightning interrupted the reunion, reminding them both that there was a fire nearby. "We can catch up later. For now, let's help out." Lou nodded, his dark face serious as they both ran towards the nearest column of smoke.

As they turned their final corner, Mel saw that the fire had spread to five houses now, with a sixth having already been burnt to the ground. People were everywhere, scurrying like ants with buckets of water, trying to put the fire out. The rain was helping, but there was one major problem: there were too many wooden houses too closely packed together. The people couldn't put out the fire quick enough, and because of that, it was spreading at an astonishing pace. Mel knew what she had to do.

Finding a corner where people wouldn't be running into her, Mel faced the fire and closed her eyes, whispering the spell over and over again as she imagined a wall surrounding the houses on fire. The fire could not penetrate that wall. It could go no farther. I would have to be content with what it already had. At the same time, though, she also imagined people walking through the wall as if through water. It wouldn't hinder people or buckets of water, only fire. This was the image she held in her head as all around her people continued to fight to save their homes.

* * *

Fern finally pushed through the masses enough to see that only one house remained alight, while five others had been burned to varying degrees. The fire, however, was somehow being kept in one place, and Fern had a good idea as to the cause of its containment. Searching the surroundings, he eventually found Mel in a trance like state, tucked in a corner. Her arms were outstretched as she whispered whatever spell she was using.

Fern strode towards her through the crowd as the last fire flickered and died. Before he reached her, someone else did. A hulk of a man was looming over Mel, reaching to grab her. Fern didn't waste time; with a burst of speed he pushed past all that where in his way, and got between the brute and Mel. Fern glared, but all the giant man did was raise an eyebrow.

In silence, the two of them looked each other over. The man before Fern was olive skinned with no hair and beady slanting eyes. Those eyes, matched with his muscular build and the scar on his face gave the man a thuggish look. The man _could _be innocent of any ill deeds, but Fern wasn't going to bet on it. This man had an ill air around him, as if he had seen death, and lots of it.

Fern was about to demand the man's name when, without warning or reason, the giant started laughing. Fern's glare intensified, but the man ignored it as he caught his breath and said, "You must be Fern!"

It took all his composure not to let his jaw drop as this stranger said his name. "Who _are _you?" He asked, voice and body tense.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but first thunder and then Mel interrupted him, "…Fern?" Turning, he saw Mel slumped in her corner against the wall, looking like she was still halfway in a trance. As that look faded, one of confusion took its place, "Fern, what are you doing here?" Then here eyes widened as she exclaimed, "I thought I told you to stay with the--with Seraphia!"

"I'm not stupid, I didn't leave her alone. I made four-eyes stay with her." Mel opened her mouth, about to argue, but Fern cut her off, "And it's a good thing I did." Returning his eyes to the thug, he added, "What if someone had hurt you."

Mel followed his look and the chuckles that were emanating from the man in front of them to their source. Before she could say anything, however, the man's voice boomed happily, "I could tell him right off the bat. He jumped to conclusions the moment he saw me about to wake you up!" He gave another chuckle, and then he added, "He's just like you'd told me, Merleawe!"

Fern glanced between the two of them as Mel, still leaning against the wall, smiled broadly, "I told you, you'd know him if you saw him!" Catching Fern's look, Mel added, "You don't need to worry about him, Fern, he's a friend of mine." Pushing off the wall, Mel tried to stand up straight, but her legs gave out, and she would have landed on the ground if Fern hadn't caught her. Mel sighed, "Thanks, guess I've done _a bit _too much today."

"You're telling me." Fern grumbled as Mel put a hand on his shoulder, trying to stand without her legs giving out. Mel was about to let go to try to stand on her own when Fern added, "You're going to fall." She tried anyways, with the expected results. Fern flung her arm to his opposite shoulder, then placed his arm around her waist to steady her. He didn't even bother saying 'I told you so'.

"Would you like me to carry you, Merleawe?" asked the giant, who, in Fern's opinion, was being overly friendly.

Mel shook her head, but it was Fern who answered sharply as they began walking, "If she'd wanted to be carried, she'd have asked." Mentally he added the word 'me' as he glared up at the man whose name he still didn't know. Bristling at the thought of the stranger carrying her, he growled agitatedly, "Who the heck are you, anyhow? And how do you know Mel?"

The man didn't even twitch at the rudeness in Fern's voice as he complacently answered, "I'm a doctor and a part of V.D.O."

"What he's not saying," Mel explained when it was clear the man would be saying no more, "is that he's Lou Hon, the leader of V.D.O." The giant, Lou, shrugged as if it wasn't important. Fern felt Mel's eyes on him as she added, "I was the one who nominated him for the post, though I played no part in him being voted in. That was up to the doctors and mages of V.D.O." Pausing, she looked over and up at Lou, "If I remember correctly, wasn't it close between you and one of the other nominees?"

Lou nodded calmly, "Yes. The nominee from Caldia, Bianca Merinos, was the runner up. However, the voters decided in favor of me, despite the fact that I'm a mere doctor and she's a powerful wizard."

"I believe they felt--" Mel was interrupted by a yawn as they continued slowly down the road, "Sorry--I think they felt that experience was more important than raw power. She was only, what? Twenty--" Mel tripped as another yawn overcame her; Lou finished for her while Fern steadied her.

"Twenty-three. And age has got nothing to do with it. I mean, look at you. Barely twenty and already you're world renown."

Mel gave a silly grin, "You just don't want to be reminded of your age!"

Lou chuckled but otherwise continued speaking as if Mel hadn't added in her two cents, "The 'Silver Haired Saint': founder of V.D.O.--master negotiator--ender of wars, even those that have yet to be fought--bringer of peace to Glice and the Dezel--and the list goes on and on! I sometimes wonder what your next 'conquest' will be." He chuckled as he joked, "Maybe you'll one day become so famous that Viegald will ask you to be their Master Wizard! Last I heard, they still didn't have one."

This time it was Fern who nearly tripped in surprise. Turning to Mel he asked quietly, "He doesn't know you're--?" Mel's wide eyes were all the answer he needed.

Lou, having caught the look on their faces if not Fern's words, added, "Well, I only got here today. I haven't had time to catch up on the most recent events. Don't tell me that in the two weeks I've been traveling Viegald _finally _came up with someone to fill the vacancy!" His normally complacent voice sounded excited. Fern and Mel looked at each other, then looked at Lou, and finally just nodded in union, too shocked to say anything aloud. He didn't know…he _really _didn't know!

Lou's face lit with a grin, either not noticing or ignoring their incredulous looks. "Really, that's great! My ma'll be glad to hear." He then explained when he remembered that Fern wouldn't know, "Oh, my ma lives in this town. She's sick, so I came to visit, which is why I'm here rather than with the V.D.O. right now." His face became sad for a moment, but soon his carefree smile was back as he turned to them and asked, "So, would you happen to know who the new Master Wizard is? Oh, and Merleawe, I heard the king's here, so does that mean the new Master Wizard is too?"

Mel's face turned red as she nodded twice slowly. Lou, once again missing the obvious, asked, "Really? Who? I'd love to meet them while I'm here if possible. It could be beneficial for the V.D.O. to have good relations with such an important person in Viegald, don't you think?" Mel's face just reddened even more as she looked down at her feet, too embarrassed to speak.

Seeing this, Fern had no qualms with snapping at the giant beside them, "Why don't you just shut up. Either you're stupid or you're picking on Mel. Either way, I don't like it."

"What do you mean?" The confusion in Lou's voice was easily detected, but soon the man's face had a thoughtful look on it. Finally he looked at Mel, who was still bright red, his eyes wide as he queried, "You don't mean…? You _do_, don't you?" He didn't get a response, Fern was too busy glaring at him and Mel was too busy studying her feet. "Well, congratulations on your newest 'conquest', Merleawe! I knew you had it in you!"

Apparently he wasn't completely brain dead, which was what Fern had been beginning to suspect…though in Fern's opinion, Lou was _still _stupid. "How the heck did someone this dumb become a doctor?" Fern mumbled to himself. Mel stepping on his foot informed him that he hadn't mumbled quietly enough. Fern just smirked at her. She may have tried to do something in response, but just then, yet another yawn overtook her.

* * *

Glancing at Mel's sleeping form on the bed as Seraphia pulled the covers over her, Fern felt both anger and relief. He was glad Mel was ok, but he was mad at her for having run off like that when things around here obviously weren't stable. However, she'd fallen asleep the moment she'd sat down on her bed, so his lecture would have to wait until she woke up.

Turning, Fern and Seraphia stepped out of Mel's room and went to the lounge where they met back up with Lecto, Lou, and Vaith. Yue wasn't present since he and the king were in a conference with the town mayor. Fern made a mental note to find Yue when he was done. He had a few questions about what had happened in the previous town, and he had a feeling Yue had the answers.

"So how's Mel?" Asked Vaith casually, as if he wasn't as worried as Fern knew he was.

"She's fine," Seraphia said calmly, "just tired."

Lecto sighed, "I _told _you she'd be fine even if she _did _do something like that. " Returning Fern's glare, he added, "It's happened before, and she's never endangered herself yet."

Vaith chirped in the moment he noticed that Fern's glare had only intensified at Lecto's words, "Don't be such a sourpuss. It's not like she's only _your _Mel!" Fern went red, but Vaith continued anyways, not letting Fern get a word in edgewise. He didn't even notice Seraphia turning white as he spoke on. "We love her too, even if it _is _in a different way than y-YOOOW--Who kicked me?!"

Without warning, Fern stood up, knocking over his chair in anger as he stormed out of the room. Looking around the table, Vaith noticed that everyone other than the new guy was glaring at him, and even _he _had a foreboding air around him. "What? What did I do? I was just--" This time it was Seraphia who pushed her chair back (though it, at least, didn't fall over as Fern's had).

"Vaith, how could you? It clearly wasn't a subject Fern would feel comfortable talking about. It's obvious he hasn't even told Mel yet! How do you think he feels, knowing that other people already know? What if he decides not to tell Mel because of what you've just done?!" Vaith's mouth worked, but no sound came out.

Seraphia sighed, then turned to Lecto, "Would you please come with me to try to find him?" Turning a sharp glare on Vaith as the two of them began to leave the table, she added as if she were his mother, "Go to your room and think about what you've done." As they walked down the hall, Lecto heard Seraphia whisper quietly to herself, "I'm glad Mel's not like Vaith." His heart skipped a beat as he understood what that _could_ imply.

* * *

Yue had almost reached the sanctuary of his room when he was spotted by none other than a very angry looking Fern. For a moment, Fern looked surprised to see him, but a moment later his face was set in a stern expression as he rounded on Yue. Yue had a feeling he knew what was coming, so he opened the door to his office and ushered Fern in without a word. When the door closed, Fern's reason for coming was stated, and it was exactly as Yue had feared. Fern sought the reason for the previous town's behavior, and the glint in his eyes told Yue that he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

* * *

Lou sat at the now empty table in the lounge, however, he didn't feel abandoned in the least. Instead he found himself pondering the situation that had been presented to him. '_So…_' he thought as he leaned his extensive bulk against the back of his chair, '_Merleawe's best friend, Fern, is in love with her…but she doesn't know it. Poor kid._' The last thought was directed towards Fern, '_He's got his work cut out for him._'

Smiling, Lou stood up, thinking to go get a cup of tea. He was only halfway out of the room, though, when a voice from the front desk caught his attention. Gravitating towards the voice, he thought that he might know the speaker. Turning the last corner, he saw a small woman, her black hair in ringlets, talking to the Innkeeper. She wore a black silk gown with lace and ribbons all over it and had a matching umbrella, it's metal tip tapping the floor impatiently, in the hand that she wasn't using to reach for the key she was being offered. Lou's smile enlarged. He did indeed know this woman who looked like a porcelain doll.

She was about to stride off in the opposite direction when Lou called out to her, his long legs bringing him to her side before she had even turned all the way around. "Bianca!" The tiny woman's dark blue eyes darted up at him, round with surprise. A moment later she shook her head and pursed her lips without giving explanation. Lou laughed, figuring that, like always, she felt indignant that she had to look up over two feet to see his face.

Taking her by the shoulder (it was much easier to reach than her hand) he half led, half dragged, her to the inns kitchen. "It's great to see you, but what in the name of all that's good are you doing here? Last I heard, you were headed for Caldia!" As they entered the seating area, Lou couldn't help but think, '_Whoa…d__éjà vu…_'

Bianca reluctantly took her seat at the table Lou had led her to while a serving man hurried over to them to take their orders. Lou ordered tea, then motioned for her to do the same. When she looked like she was about to refuse, he added, "It's my treat. We haven't seen each other in months, and I'm sure we have plenty of catching up to do." After a prolonged sigh, Bianca slowly ordered tea as well. She knew very well that once Lou had decided on having a conversation with someone, the conversation would happen no matter the circumstances…or even whether the other party wanted to talk or not.

For the most part it was Lou who talked (mostly about the V.D.O.) while Bianca sipped her tea. Finally when she found a chance, Bianca changed the subject, "Look, Lou, for all that we're having such a nice chat, I need to give a message to the Master Wizard. If you'll excuse me…"

Lou was shaking his head, and when she stood up, he motioned for her to return to her seat. "Well, you'll have to wait, she's not awake. She helped with the fire that happened earlier today and she's exhausted. Do you know about what happened?" Lou didn't even wait for an answer before he launched into the tail.

Bianca slumped back into her chair, wondering why on earth that of _all_ the people she _could _have run into, it _had _to have been him.

* * *

There, an extra long chapter for you! Sorry for the wait, but the fourth of July added along with some other happenings, took more time than even I thought they would. Oh well… Did you like all the twists and turns (and burns) of this chapter? Well, I hope so, since there's more to come!

Reviews, constructive criticism, and people going to my deviantART account shall be allowed to watch the (late) fireworks show…flamers, however, would just ruin everything, so let's leave them out, ok? Now, onto the _pretty list_!

Thanks to: Rebel of my Destiny, RebelAngel91210, M-x-M, iNsAnE nO bAkA, Ivee Waterlilly, Mayab, AnimeCrystalPearl, & cheer up emo kd for reviewing!


	6. Synonym for ‘Telling the Truth’

Disclaimer: Yuzu Mizutani in no way equates to JUCHKO.

**Chapter 6: Synonym for 'Telling the Truth'**

Fern's fists smacked the table as he exploded at Yue, "**And you didn't think I should know this! How the heck did you come up with **_**that **_**brilliant deduction?!**"

Yue just looked at him calmly as he rubbed one ear, "You don't need to shout, I'm right here." This was, of course, answered with another string of loud words. Waiting for Fern to finish, Yue shuffled some of the papers on his temporary desk. Once Fern had to pause for breath he broke in and explained coolly, "You're overreacting… That's exactly why I didn't want you informed."

"**Over--I'm **_**not **_**overreacting!**" Another fist hit the table, and when Fern next spoke, his voice was lowered, but none the less seething with anger. "It's a lot easier to protect someone if you know what you're trying to protect them from!"

"Yes, which is why I ordered Lecto to stick close to Mel while we were out. He already knew the situation, and it wouldn't raise suspicions for him to accompany her since he was her classmate."

"Yeah, and what could that nitwit do for her if she was in trouble? No more than she'd be able to do for herself, that's what!" Yue began to defend Lecto, but Fern snapped before he could get two words in, "He doesn't even know her well enough to keep her out of danger." Jabbing angrily in the southern direction, he spat, "He didn't even think that Mel would run off to that fire without telling anyone! No, he just got off his horse and followed you like a little mindless duckling! He didn't even look back!"

Yue bit back a retort, fighting to keep hold of his temper. Yelling at the red-head would only add fuel to the fire. Taking calming breaths, Yue leaned back in his chair and counted to ten before he began speaking. "Look, what's done is done. You know now, so you can make whatever adjustments you feel are necessary. However," he paused to make sure Fern was listening before he continued. "I'd rather you not inform her about what you've found out just now." His voice left no room for argument.

Yue continued, "Knowing Mel, if she found out someone was stalking her--spreading rumors and trying to entice people into attacking or even killing her… Well, knowing Mel, she'd try to find this person and talk to them to try to fix the situation. Mel's not the kind to understand that not everyone listens to reason."

A weary smile momentarily appeared as he added, "She wouldn't be the Master Wizard today if she did, but" the smile disappeared again, "it's for that same reason that she mustn't find out. Do you understand?" Fern nodded, "Then you may leave. Go check on her…I know you're worried." The look in Yue's eyes made Fern cuss; it was the same look Vaith and the others had given him earlier today.

Shoving himself out of his chair, Fern exclaimed as he left the room, slamming the door behind him, "Does _everyone _know?!"

Stalking down the hallway towards Merleawe's room, Fern seethed silently. He knew Yue was right about what Mel would do if she found out about the stalker, but he still felt that she had to be warned. If she wasn't, she'd probably go running off on her own again. Yue had forbidden him form telling her what he'd just found out; however, that _technically _didn't include what he'd already gathered from his time in the previous village.

_That _information alone should be a sufficient deterrent. Hopefully knowing people were on edge about her would keep her from running off--or at least stop her from running off without _him _to protect her. Walking into her room, he found her sitting up in bed, obviously awake once more.

* * *

Seraphia sat down in the lounge's chair with a sigh, her skirts billowing around her. They'd had no luck locating Fern. "He's probably outside…" Seraphia looked at Lecto, who shrugged and added as he sat down across from her, "Well, we couldn't find him in here, so outside _would _be the next logical assumption."

"Yeah…just less favorable." If he'd disappeared into this unfamiliar city, they'd never find him no matter how much they searched. "Why did Vaith have to go and say that? Poor Fern…_poor __Mel_!" Lecto raised an eyebrow in question. Fighting down a blush, Seraphia added, "You saw how angry he was when he stomped off. What if he's still that angry when Mel wakes up? Fern's not exactly good at directing his anger and…" Seraphia trailed off as Lecto nodded. There was no need to explain further.

Looking at her hands, Seraphia found herself contemplating Fern and Mel's situation, and how it may one day correlate with her own. She was very thankful Mel was nothing like Vaith--she'd never reveal Seraphia's secret crush to anyone. However, that didn't mean she'd be safe forever. What if Vaith figured it out? She'd normally not think it possible, but he'd already somehow figured out Fern's secret, so why not hers as well? Seraphia shuddered; she didn't think that even an imperial order would keep _his _mouth shut.

"Are you alright, your highness?" Lecto's worry made her look up at him.

"Seraphia. Call me Seraphia." Her words were soft and sad. "Why do you, and Mel, find it so hard to remember?" Mel was like the older sister she'd never hand, and Lecto was…well, Lecto. The two of them were the closest people to her after her grandfather, and yet they always treated her as if they weren't. It hurt.

Some of this must have shown on her face, for Lecto apologized, "I'm sorry…Seraphia. I just don't want to seem like I'm overstepping my bounds, I guess." Seraphia was shocked to see that Lecto's face held a slight blush. Seraphia's heart raced.

"You're not, Lecto. Nowhere near it, you see…" Wetting her lips, Seraphia forced herself to continue. If she didn't, she feared she never would, "I--" Her voice cracked. Was she crazy? Was she really thinking of going through with this? Then she remembered Vaith, and her conviction returned. If she didn't, he probably would. "I have something to confess…"

She could feel his eyes oh her, making her face burn. She could speak to thousands of people without breaking a sweat, but not him. _He _made her nervous beyond words. The choice of this particular conversation wasn't helping any, either. Fidgeting, she forced the words out, not daring to look up as she did so. "I…I love you."

* * *

"What were you thinking running out into that mob?! Even worse, you went _alone_!" Mel flinched, but didn't get a chance to speak. "What if it hadn't been someone as friendly as Lou that you ran into? What kind of situation do you think you'd be in?!"

"I can take care of myself, Fern. I'm not a baby." Said Mel from her perch on the edge of her bed.

"Think, Mel, think! Things around here obviously aren't quite right. It's too dangerous for you to be going off on your own! Or did you not notice that woman's strange behavior when you tried to save her or what she said afterwards?"

Mel broke in, trying not to get angry at Fern's over-protectiveness, "Of course I did! How couldn't I have? Jena was scared silly of me for some reason, but what's that got to do with this? It's not like we're still there." Mel would have said more, but Fern interrupted her harshly.

"We may as well be! Don't think this place is so far away that whatever contaminated that woman's thoughts hasn't also passed through here. Half a day's ride is nothing for a rumor, Mel, _nothing_. That woman feared you were going to kill her, or at least harm her, to the point where she didn't even notice that you were trying to do the exact opposite! It was apparent her fellows thought the same thing, too, the way they cowered from you. That kind of fear passes from person to person easily."

"You think I don't know that? That's why I have to show people that I'm there to help, not hurt." It took all of Mel's composure not to yell.

"Use your head for _once_, Mel! Do you think everyone's going to give you a chance to prove yourself?! There's bound to be someone out there who'll see you and think its kill or be killed! If you keep strolling about on your own like nothing's wrong, I promise you, you'll run into trouble; and when you do, who will be there to watch your back? The enemy?"

Mel stood up, exasperated, "The _enemy_? Fern, you're going too far! I know you're just trying to help, but you're trying too hard. It's like you're trying to make everyone and everything into 'the enemy', but there _is _no 'enemy'! It's all words and rumors, nothing more! We merely need to dispel these misconceptions, not give them form. That's what the people need--"

"**Forget the **_**people**_**; it's ****you**** I'm worried about!**" Fern shouted.

Mel, fed up with trying to stay calm, finally retorted with anger in her voice, "How can you _say_ that?! Why would I matter more than everyone else?!"

"**Because I love y**--" Fern's livid face suddenly bleached as he realized what he'd said. "**Dang it! I wasn't supposed to say that!**" What followed next was a string of colorful words mixed in with rants about his own stupidity as he fled the room with a swiftness a swallow would envy.

Mel just slumped to the floor, her mouth agape as she tried to process what was going on.

* * *

Vaith exited his room, heading in the direction of the shout he'd just heard. He was too far away to understand what was said, but he was sure that it had been Fern's voice. His steps sped up as he saw Fern coming out of Mel's room in a hurry. By the time he reached the door, Fern had already disappeared around the far corner. For a moment, Vaith wavered, but finally he decided to check in on Mel rather than try (and most likely fail) to follow Fern.

Approaching the door, he found that when Fern had slammed the door, it hadn't closed all the way. Looking through the small opening it made, Vaith could just see Mel at the edge of his vision. She was sitting on the floor, her knees pulled to her chest. He couldn't see her face, but the posture itself was enough to ring warning bells in Vaith's head. He continued down the hallway at a brisk pace, hoping to find Seraphia in the lounge. She would be better in this kind of situation than would he. Beyond that, he didn't want to be scolded again.

His luck was in. Seraphia and Lecto were sitting in the lounge. Both of their faces were red, but Vaith just chalked that up to having looked all over the Inn for Fern. They'd probably only just returned. "I saw Fern." Both set's of eyes widened as they turned to look at him. "He was coming out of Mel's room. I think he'd been yelling at her."

Seraphia's face paled, "What was he saying?"

Vaith shrugged, "I don't know, I was too far away at the time. However, I don't think Mel's taking whatever it was well." He paused, then explained what he'd seen. Once he finished, Seraphia stood up, looking extremely worried.

"I'm going to go see her. Maybe she'll tell me what happened." Turning, the princess left without another word.

Lecto was about to follow when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. It was Vaith. "Let her do it. Girls are better at this stuff than we are." He paused, and then added after he knew Lecto wasn't going to follow Seraphia, "While she's doing that, why don't _we _be of some use and track down Fern."

* * *

Mel sat on the floor, her head on her knees, feeling surreal as she went over what had just happened again and again in her head. She just couldn't believe it. There was no way Fern would say something like that; it just wasn't like him. She must have misunderstood…right? Mel felt like pulling on her hair in confusion. It was impossible, and yet… How could _anyone _misunderstand something as straightforward as 'Because I love y--'? Sure there was some missing, but she could fill in the blanks. And then there was Fern's reaction to having said that…

Mel wasn't sure what to think, let alone feel, about what had happened. It was too confusing. Mel's head shot up as a knock sounded on the door and Seraphia let herself in. Kneeling down beside her, she asked softly, "Mel, are you ok?'

"I…I don't know…" Suddenly a thought struck her. If she didn't know how she was feeling about all this, than what about Fern? Wouldn't he be worse off then she was? "Oh no…" she breathed before standing up and hurrying towards the door as she asked, "Do you know where Fern is." The princess just shook her head, too surprised to speak. "I need to find him." With no further explanation, she rushed out of the room, leaving Seraphia to stand gaping. By the time she went after her, Mel was already out of sight.

Sighing, Seraphia walked down the hall to the lounge, hoping to find Mel there, but to no avail. Instead, she found Lou entering the room, a beautiful young woman at his side. A closer inspection showed that the woman looked a little peeved. However, Seraphia had the feeling that Lou didn't notice.

When Lou's gaze landed on Seraphia, he placed one large hand on the woman's shoulder and steered her over to her, exclaiming gleefully, "Ah, Bianca, let me introduce you to her highness, princess Seraphia. You're highness, this is Lady Bianca, a fellow V.D.O. member."

Bianca curtsied, her dark eyes serious, "It's an honor, your highness." Shaking off the giant's hand, she curtsied again, "I don't wish to seem impudent, but I have need of a private conference with the Master Wizard. If you would excuse me, please?"

The princess shook her head, "I would let you go on you way, however, I'm afraid, Lady Bianca, that the Master Wizard is currently unavailable."

It was Lou who spoke up the moment Seraphia went quiet, "So Merleawe's still asleep? I thought she might have woken up by now… What is it, your highness? Why are you shaking your head?"

"She's not asleep, not anymore, but she's not available, either. According to Vaith, Fern yelled at her, then stormed off. She apparently went after him. Now I have no idea where either of them are."

There was a moment of silence, and then, "Why not split up to look for them?" To her surprise, it was Bianca, not Lou, who spoke. Bianca's stoic face let no inkling of her true intentions escape, but Seraphia could guess that the 'splitting up' had more to do with her getting away from the overly joyful Lou than a wish to help. She didn't even know what Fern looked like, though it was possible she knew Mel.

Oh well, who cared what her reason was, it was a good idea. "Very well, let's do that. And Lou, if you see Lecto or Vaith, ask them to help too, please." Lou nodded. "Let us meet back here in an hour. Hopefully that will be enough time to find them. I'll take the 'important guests' wing."

"I'll search the kitchen area!" Exclaimed Lou loudly.

Bianca huffed, "You just want another cup of tea. Check the rest of the Inn while you're at it. Since the royal party is here, most of the rooms are already taken by 'important guests', so there really won't be too much for you to do otherwise."

"I was _not_ going to get another cup of tea! Besides, where will you be searching if I search what would have been your part of the Inn?"

Bianca rolled her eyes and then thumped her umbrella's point on the tiled floor impatiently, letting it's sharp ring fill the air. "Outside, of course."

* * *

Mel's quest for Fern eventually lead her to the front desk. When asked, the Inn keeper politely explained that the 'young Hahze' had left the building in a terrible rush. Mel went pale, but thanked the man anyways before running out into the pouring rain herself. Mel ran through the winding streets, searching with all her might through the gloom for Fern. She ran until she could run no more.

Stopping to catch her breath, Mel marveled at the stone structures on either side of her. These weren't houses, not given their size or their elaborate carvings. Glancing down, she noticed that the road was not dirt, as it was most elsewhere, but cobbled instead. They were probably political buildings of some sort. Given the time of night, they were uninhabited.

The sound of a pebble chafing against a cobblestone was all the warning Mel got before she felt metal tearing into the skin of her shoulder.

* * *

Ooh, the _suspense_! Don't you just _love _this wonderful cliff I've left for you to dangle from?

Has everyone figured out the meaning of the title (cough--riddle--cough)? Here's the synonym for 'telling the truth': _Confessing_! It was a hint that there were going to be confessions! Did anyone figure it out on their own?

Here's the link to a fanfic me and a friend came up with together (take out the two spaces, of course):

www. fanfiction .net/s/5254153/1/Bloopers

Well, I'd love to have reviews, constructive criticisms, and people going to my DeviantART account! If you do, it's more likely that you'll get a rope thrown down to rescue you from the cliff! Flamers I'll just leave hanging. Now, let's move on to the _pretty list_!

Thanks to: Rebel of my Destiny, RebelAngel91210, iNsAnE nO bAkA, cheer up emo kd, M-x-M, AnimeCrystalPearl, & Crazy anime chick since 1993 for reviewing!


	7. The Truth

Disclaimer: Keep dreaming, that's the only way I could own.

**Chapter 7: The Truth**

When Fern finally felt he'd cooled down enough, he decided to return down the straight path he had taken until he reentered the inn. Fern's spirits sunk as he thought about having to approach Mel after what he'd said. She'd probably be absolutely bewildered, that, or she'd be in a complete frenzy trying to find him. He was dreading either being the case, because both would require an explanation. '_Why couldn't I keep my stupid mouth shut?_'

"Ah, you there! Young Hahze!" Fern, who had been about to pass the front desk, stopped and turned to look at the innkeeper, "The Master Wizard was looking for you." Fern felt his heart skip a beat as he asked if the man knew where she was. Dread overcame him as the innkeeper answered, "Yeah, she went running out into the rain after y-" Fern was already out the door once more, cussing as he went.

'_Dang it, Mel, I **told **you not to go running off on your own! Don't you understand that you're in danger, you idiot?_'

* * *

Mel bit back a scream as she tore away from whatever had pierced her. Turning quickly, she just caught sight of a black shadow before it disappeared around a corner. Clutching her injury, Mel scanned the shadows wearily, thankful she hadn't noticed the attack a moment later. If she had, it would have been much worse than just a hole in her arm.

She wasn't given any more time to think as rocks started hitting her from behind. Spinning around, Mel sent a ball of fire at the source of the rocks. The ball flew, sizzling through the heavy rain until it hit something. The last thing Mel saw was the ivy covered wall her fireball had run into before its light was extinguished. There was no one there.

That fact had barely registered before she heard a splash directly behind her. This time she knew what to expect and was able to dodge. Through the heavy rain, she saw a shadowy form standing before her, holding a long thin object; however she was unable to make out any other details before it attacked again with the object it was holding. Mel jumped backwards, sideways, backwards again, dodging as best she could until suddenly she found that her back was against the ivy covered wall and the shadowy figure was rushing towards her.

Mel waited until the very last moment before she dropped down and rolled away, allowing the weapon to penetrate the wall rather than her. Scrambling to her feet, Mel saw the figure struggling to pull their instrument of lethality out of its accidental sheath. "Why are you doing this?" She asked, taking advantage of the lull in the attack. She really hoped the person would put down their weapon and apologize so that they could forget this whole mess. However, she knew deep in her heart that that would never happen. After all, this was most likely the 'enemy' Fern had been trying to warn her about.

The person tugged one last time on the object, freeing it. Just as the person turned toward Mel, lightning lit up the rain drenched sky, shedding light on the scene and the identity of the perpetrator. Mel felt her knees go weak and tried to convince herself that it was due to blood loss and not from the shock of who it was who was standing before her.

* * *

Stepping out of yet another empty room, Seraphia almost ran into a person who had been about to knock. Her face flushed as she noticed who it was. Staring up at him, she managed to say, "Hi…Lecto…" After a few moments of silence, both just staring at each other, someone made a sound; and it wasn't either of them.

A hand was suddenly being waved in front of their faces as Vaith exclaimed, "Hello! Anyone in there?" As both sets of eyes turned to him, Vaith smirked, "What's with you two, ignoring me like that?" Apparently he hadn't noticed the uneasy atmosphere. "It's not like you're the only ones here… Oh, and princess Seraphia, why _are _you here? Weren't you comforting Mel?"

Thankful for Vaith's obliviousness, Seraphia answered quickly, "I was…but then she ran after Fern and I can't find her now."

Vaith nodded his head, "Yeah? That's not good. Now the both of them are missing." He then thought it necessary to explain, "We were looking for Fern, and we never saw either of them while we searched." Seraphia nodded sadly. She'd feared that was the case when she'd seen the two of them here with no one else.

Lecto, noticing Seraphia's disheartenment, reentered the conversation, "Don't worry, there are still plenty of places for them to be. Have you looked anywhere else yet." Seraphia nodded, first telling where she'd already been, then explaining where Lou and Bianca were looking. After that, Lecto thought for a few moments, then slowly suggested, "How about we finish with this hallway, then return to the lounge. Maybe someone else has already found one, or even both, of them." He suddenly blushed as he mumbled, looking at the ground, "Or, at least, that's what I think…you may not agree…"

A hand thwacking him on the back paired with Vaith's laughter momentarily made Lecto think his idea had been shot down, but then Vaith exclaimed, "That's a brilliant idea! Let's do that! Though…" He paused and glanced down the exceedingly long hallway.

Vaith continued, "I think maybe I ought to do the rest of this hallway myself while you two go back to the lounge to see what you can find. Besides, I need to speak with Yue about some things, and it could take a while. His rooms somewhere down this hall, though, so I'll find him eventually." Without waiting for their opinion on the matter, he gave them a little push in the right direction, telling them to get going with an abnormal smile on his face.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Vaith was snickering on the inside as he watched them awkwardly walk away. He wasn't as stupid as people thought; he just liked pretending he was. After all, it was easier to mess with people that way. '_Though,_' he lamented, '_maybe I shouldn't have been so blunt with Fern. He doesn't take being 'messed with' very well, and that's why we're all running around now instead of relaxing._' His moment of seriousness was abruptly cut off as another, happier, thought took its place, '_Oh well, now I have a new target… And they are **much **easier to mess with! Not to mention safer!_'

* * *

As he and the Seraphia walked in silence, Lecto fought with the turmoil inside him. He still couldn't believe that the princess was in love with him; it just didn't seem possible. Sure, he'd found himself staring at Seraphia-thinking she was beautiful-while he was supposed to be watching over Mel. But then he'd catch himself and remember that she was the _princess_. She had many suitors now that her fiancé was dead, many of whom where more promising candidates than him. There were even princes from other lands vying for her. What chance did he have? Before today, the answer had been 'none'.

Stealing a glance, he found that Seraphia was looking at him. Both of their faces reddened, but neither turned away. Trying to break the awkward silence that followed, Lecto blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "About what you were saying before Vaith interrupted…" Lecto felt like kicking himself. Of all the things to pop out of his mouth, it had to be the one thing that _wouldn't _make the situation any less awkward. Well, he may as well continue since there was no taking back what he'd already said. "…is it true that you…"

Trailing off, he watched Seraphia's already red face become even redder as she nodded silently. His heart leapt to his throat, leaving him speechless. Seraphia, mistaking the silence for a refusal, started stuttering, "I-I apologize if-if-if I offended you-"

She was trying to keep face, but Lecto could hear the hidden sobs in her words, and it broke his heart. As they entered the empty lounge, he stopped and grabbed Seraphia's hands, turning her to face him as he proclaimed, "Don't misunderstand, I just… I never thought you'd feel the same." This time it was Seraphia's turn to be speechless.

It was that happy silence that allowed them to hear the mutterings of the nearby innkeeper about Hahzes and Master Wizards who run out into storms looking for each other.

* * *

A petite, fragile looking woman, all clad in black, was who stood before Merleawe. Mel stood frozen as this innocent, doll-like woman pointed her blade tipped umbrella at her and spat, "Why am I doing this? _Why_? Because you turned them against me, that's why! They never would have chosen that blundering idiot over me! The only reason they did was because **you **told them to! It's all your fault!"

Mel's mind scrambled to understand what she was talking about. Then it hit her and she exclaimed, "I did no such thing! All I did was nominate Lou. I had no part to play in the actual decision, Lady Bianca!" This last statement was given while ducking under the swing of the now-deadly umbrella. Bianca wasn't listening.

"You conniving witch! What right did you, a non-member, have to nominate someone! They had already decided it was to be **me**; but then you waltzed right in at the last minute and said it should be that _idiot_!" Mel winced as the blade tip caught the back of her leg as she failed to dodge one of the strikes fast enough. "You used your celebrity status to sway their decisions! You worked your way under their skins and into their minds, using them for your own advancement! The same with that knucklehead! He may be too stupid to notice that he's just a puppet you're using to control the V.D.O. but _I _notice!"

Mel attempted once more to reason with the distraught woman, "Lady Bianca, please calm down. You are accusing me of things that are not true. If you would only stop to think, you'd realize that I have no intention of controlling the V.D.O. If I had, I would have accepted the leadership roll I was offered back when it had just formed. However, I didn't, and that's because I didn't and still don't _want _to. I-"

Bianca brutally cut her off, "You lying scumbag! You twist your words to mean whatever you want people to believe they mean. You're so charming and charismatic that, even having been warned by me of the dangers you pose, most people can't help but believe that your falsehoods are fact. But you're _tricks _and _pretty words _won't work on **me**! I can see the real you underneath the fabrications!"

This time Mel couldn't completely evade and the blade caught her side. Screaming in pain she stumbled and fell to the ground. Seizing the chance, Bianca ran forwards and raised her umbrella, preparing to deal the final blow. Mel had no time to think; she just shouted out the first spill that came to her. Just as the umbrella was about to plunge down, blade first, the spell took effect and the weapon shattered into countless pieces. Startled, she jumped back, away from Merleawe.

And then, after a pause, Bianca gave a mirthless laugh. "Well, I didn't expect that." Mel struggled to get up despite her injuries as Bianca swept the umbrella splinters off her dress casually. "I was planning to stick to less conspicuous ways of getting rid of you." She addressed Mel once she was finished with her dress, "However, I see it was foolish of me to have thought a mere blade would be enough to stop you." reaching into her pocket she pulled out the metal tip that had once been concealing the blade and threw it at Mel's face.

Mel's attention was momentarily diverted as she swatted it aside. Next came more rocks, like earlier, only now she knew they were being thrown by Bianca's spell. As the rocks continued bombarding her, she heard Bianca say darkly, "I see now that even if it may leave evidence of my presence, a death spell is the only way to go." Horrified, Mel watched as power grew around Bianca. She attempted to move, to escape, but found that the rocks that had been besieging her were no longer swarming her face but pinning her feet to the ground.

She was out of time. "Goodbye, Miss Silver Haired _Snake_!" Bianca yelled as her spell flashed through the rain filled sky. Something barreled into her, making her fly out of the grasp of the spell bound rocks…but it wasn't the death spell… It was Fern. She felt his arms wrap around her in an attempt to protect her as they were blasted into the air. However, when they hit the ground, he was flung away. Once she quit tumbling she looked around dizzily for him through the torrent of rain.

What she saw made all the blood drain from her… He wasn't moving. He'd been protecting her from the spell, and… "Fern!" Her voice tore from her, and she would have run to him but she could barely sit upright. Her wounds weren't serious, but she was losing too much blood. Tears welled in her eyes as she screamed in agony, "No! Fern!"

A harsh scoff made Mel turn her bleary eyes towards Bianca. "The idiot, he shouldn't have interfered. Now I have to do this a second time." Anger and anguish exploded in Mel's chest at Bianca's brush off of what had just happened. Had she no respect for life? A brief glance at Fern's still body gave her all the answers she would be getting.

Anger spurred Mel to use power in a way she'd hoped she wouldn't have to. First Mel sent arrows of fire towards her in a frontal assault, which Bianca deflected. Then a circle of blue fire sprung up around Bianca, singeing her skirts, but Bianca would have none of it.

While she concentrated on putting the fire out, Mel called on the plants all around them. Answering her call, tree roots burst from the ground and vines of ivy lashed out. They grabbed Bianca and dragged her to the ground, restricting her movements. The ivy even wrapped itself underneath her jaw and around her head, stopping her from voicing anymore spells.

Now that the coast was clear, Mel crawled over to Fern, fighting pain and lightheadedness as she went. When she reached him she reluctantly reached over to touch him, expecting him to be as cold as death. To her surprise, however, though cold, he wasn't _that _cold. A closer inspection told her he was still breathing. It was laborious and shallow, but it was there. Mel felt as if her soul had left her body, she was that alight with happiness. Reaching out, she held his hand in both her own.

He was still alive, but how? Her mind was too foggy to think straight. She knew she should go get someone, but she didn't want to leave Fern. She didn't want to move. She was so tired…

…Mel was shocked out of her trance as hands pulled her away from Fern. Jerking around, she caught sight of Seraphia and Lecto on either side of her, swaying. Why were they here? Why were they trying to move her? And why in the world wouldn't they hold still? "We need to get them to a doctor, fast…" Lecto's voice sounded like it came from far away, "…lost too much blood…don't know…happened…Vaith should…come…" She heard no more as a swirling darkness took her to oblivion…

* * *

When Mel woke up, the first thing she noticed was that she was back in her room, and the second was that Lou was standing nearby, looking at her with a smile. "Finally, you're awake!" Walking calmly over to her, he helped her sit up (something that was quite painful at the moment) then checked her vitals as he continued speaking, "You've been asleep for two days, but that's to be expected after how much damage you took. You have a concussion too."

Lou's face saddened, "I can't believe she did this… I'm so sorry, Merleawe. We don't even know why yet; she won't speak." The depression in the air was practically tangible as Lou sighed and turned to a wicker basket that was placed on a nearby chair. As he shifted through its contents, he explained quietly, "She's in the custody of Vaith and Yue at the moment, so you don't need to worry…" He trailed off into silence.

Once he found what he'd been searching for, he returned to Mel's side, his face haunted. Handing her a small vial, he explained in a quiet voice, "This should help with the dizziness."

Drinking it, Mel almost immediately felt better. "Thank you," Now that the room was holding completely still, Mel asked what had been on her mind since she'd woken up, "How's Fern?"

Lou shook his head soberly, "I've tried everything I know, but… He won't wake up. I don't know why." He fell silent, looking at his feet with a troubled face. His worries only increased when Mel next spoke a minute later.

"I want to see him."

It took a bit of effort, but eventually Mel convinced Lou to take her to Fern; he had to carry her since one of her legs had been cut to the bone. When they entered Fern's room, it looked as if Fern was just sleeping, but they both knew otherwise. Lou gently lowered Mel to a chair that sat beside Fern's bed, then after a few moments of heavy silence, left the room with a whispered 'I'm sorry'.

Once the door closed, Mel reached out and, as she had earlier, held onto his hand. "Please wake up." She pleaded in a whisper, "_Please _wake up, Fern. I don't want to lose you." He had risked his life for her without hesitation. He'd _thrown _himself into the way of a death spell meant for her. It was the miracle of the Hahze blood that he was still alive.

Tears threatened to overcome her as she thought about all that he meant to her. For he was more than just a friend to her, of that she was now sure. He was on the brink of death; she couldn't stand the thought of losing him. And it was all her fault that he was like this now.

"I'm so sorry, Fern, you were right. Why couldn't I have just listened to you?" A sob escaped her tight throat, "I was stupid and-and now-" she buried her face into the edge of the bed, trying and failing to stifle her sobs. "Please wake up…even if you hate me for doing this to you…please…just…wake up!" Mel stayed like that for hours, whispering apologies and encouragement, until she fell asleep. Never once did she let go of Fern's hand.

* * *

Green eyes opened to see a dark room lit only by moonlight. Remembering what he'd just gone through, Fern almost jumped out of bed, wanting to run and find Mel to make sure she was alright. However something was holding him back. Glancing down at his hand, he found that the pressure on it was the source of his anxiety… And she was alright.

Sitting up carefully so as not to disturb her, he watched her sleeping form in the moonlight, noting every bandage and bruise. She was undoubtedly in pain, but she was alive. That was what mattered most. He'd reached her in time. When he'd heard that witch casting a death spell, he had feared he wouldn't. But he had and she was wonderfully, beautifully, alive.

Gently brushing the hair away from her face, he caught the unmistakable gleam of tears on her cheek as she mumbled something around the lines of 'please wake up'. A small, warm smile formed on his lips. The silly girl was worried about him. Well, he was already awake…but he'd rather watch her sleep than wake her up and tell her so. Besides, if he woke her up now, she would most likely leave his side for one reason or another.

He wanted to keep her to himself for as long as he could.

* * *

There, one or two more chapters to go. This story is almost over. Like I'd said, I wanted to keep this story short. Now that school is back in session, I'll be really busy. Also, sorry for the long wait for this chapter. First there was family over from out of state, and then school started. But, hey, it was a long chapter!

I have not had time to edit this, so if you see anything, tell me where it is, and I will fix it ASAP. Thank you.

Reviews, constructive criticisms, and people going to my DeviantART account shall receive a hug. Flamers will not. Now, on to the (SHORT) _pretty list_!

Thanks to: Rebel of my Destiny, RebelAngel91210, SnowWolfSpirit, OMG101, & .xXx for reviewing!


	8. Some Things Never Change…

Disclaimer: Long wait's come with school being back in session… Being in school means I do not own. (I'm really sorry for the long wait, though)

**Chapter 8: Some Things Never Change…**

As sunlight entered the room, Mel began to stir. The moment Fern noticed this he sat straighter and began preparing himself for whatever actions and words she may throw at him. Considering all that had happened since he'd gone to speak to her in her room, he couldn't be sure how exactly she would react.

Finally Mel's blue eyes blinked, once, twice, and then sprung wide open as they caught sight of Fern's green eyes staring back. She shot upright, "Fern?" Mel questioned, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. Fern smirked as he squeezed her hand, the one that had yet to let go of his, in a silent answer. To his horror, Tears started to pour from her eyes and her hand in his began to shake, and then-

Mel flung herself at him, taking him by surprise and almost knocking him over. "What the-!" Mel was hugging him like there was no tomorrow, her tearstained face buried against the side of his neck. "Mel, what do you think you're doing?" Of course, he already knew the answer. She was being the silly, overemotional, and not to mention overly-clingy girl that she was. Sighing, he slowly brought up his now free hand and patted her head in an attempt to sooth her.

He was glad she was too busy crying to see his bright red face.

Fern was just contemplating what to do next when he heard Mel's muffled whisper. "I'm sorry Fern, I'm so sorry!" For the briefest of moments, Fern stiffened; Mel continued on, unaware that he was worried that she was about to bring up his accidental confession-she wasn't. Pulling back with a wince, Mel returned to her chair and looked at Fern with her tear-stained eyes, "Really I am-You warned me and I didn't listen, and now-" her voice cracked as tears started pouring out of her eyes once more, "You almost died and it's all my f-" a hand covered her mouth, gently cutting her off.

For all that Fern was relieved about what she _hadn't _brought up, he wasn't about to let her continue blaming herself either, "This isn't your fault, so don't you _dare _blame yourself." Moving his hand to her shoulder, he stressed, "It's my _duty _to protect you, Mel…and even if I did a poor job of it this time, at least I was able to keep you alive…that's all that really matters."

Mel shook her head, mumbling quietly as she dried her eyes, "I still should have listened…"

"Well, now you know," Fern smirked, "and next time you will…"

Fern may have said more, but just then the door swung open and Vaith strutted in, a huge smile on his face, "Ah, so sleeping beauty's finally awake-YOOOW! Who _kicked _me?" Turning swiftly he came face to face with a very angry Seraphia-and gulped. She had followed him inside and now had the look of someone who was about to box his ears in. Behind her stood Lecto, Lou, and Yue, all of whom were looking at him with their own personal style of disapproval. Turning back around he lamented weakly, "I mean, um, glad to see you're up." Fern just rolled his eyes.

Seraphia, pushing past Vaith, hurried over to Mel's side, "We're so glad you're both ok!" Lecto, stepping up beside her, nodded his agreement but otherwise remained silent as the others entered the room and Yue closed the door.

Lou walked past the group to Fern, feeling first his forehead, and then his wrist-ignoring the glare he was getting from the red-head. Nodding his head and taking a step back, the doctor proclaimed, "His temperature's fine and his pulse is back to normal." Then, turning to Mel, he did the same thing, "Your pulse, however, is still a bit weak, Miss Merleawe." Sending a glance at Yue he added, "Taking into account your other injuries as well, I would suggest that you not be moving about too much. Not for a while, anyhow."

"We understand," Yue spoke gruffly from the back of the group, "The king has already issued that the procession will not continue until after the Master Wizard is fit to ride. However," he said, his face falling to shadows, "we cannot stay here forever, you understand?"

Lou, a forced smile on his face, answered tightly, "Of course I understand, you have important places to go and people to meet. On the other hand, though, I will not allow this procession to put Miss Merleawe's health in jeopardy." Fern nodded to himself, as did many of the others; he had to agree with the giant on this one. Mel wasn't in any condition to be riding anywhere just yet-no matter _how many _of the nobility chaffed at the delay, as was obviously the case.

"I'll get better soon!" piped up the subject of the conversation for the first time, "So please tell everyone not to worry."

For a moment Fern could have sworn he'd seen a smile on Yue's passive face, "I'll do that." Yue's face was completely stoic once more.

"And you, Miss Merleawe," cut in Lou, "need to get proper rest so you can 'get better soon'. I let you stay here last night, but sleeping in a chair isn't good on that side injury of yours-and now that Fern's awake, there shouldn't be a reason for you to." Looking over to Yue he added, "And _you _can just as easily question her in her room after you've finished with Fern."

Without further ado, Lou picked up Mel carefully and headed out the door. A glance was shared between Seraphia and Lecto before they quickly set after them, Seraphia turning in the hall to give a little wave before she closed the door.

Turning his eyes to Yue and Vaith, Fern crossed his arms-a bit agitated at Mel's abrupt departure-and waited for one of the men to say something. Clearing his throat, Vaith broke the silence, "Well, Fern… I know you just woke up and all, but, we need you're testimony." Scratching his head, he added, "We know Lady Bianca's the one who hurt you two, since we found her tied up in vines flowing with Mel's magic, but…well…"

Vaith trailed off, letting Yue finish for him, "We need to know what exactly happened." Shaking his head, he continued, "Lady Bianca Merinos refuses to say anything. Usually the kind of resistance she's been giving us paired with the situation in which she was found would be enough to convict her of assaulting the Master Wizard, but…"

Fern nodded in understanding, "But she's nobility from another country-even worse, from Caldia-and you don't want to go upsetting public relations by convicting her without all the proof at hand." Yue nodded calmly, Vaith exuberantly. "Fine, I'll tell you what I know."

* * *

The day of the trial came quickly. The events of the night of the attack were laid bare before the shocked court and the ambassador of Caldia rushed to denounce Lady Bianca's actions, saying she, in no way, represented Caldia, despite being a noble. Apparently even her own relatives in Caldia had abandoned her, refusing to even come view her trial, let alone help her in any way.

As Mel sat beside Fern, having already given their testimonies, she couldn't take her eyes off of the restrained black clad woman. She sat proudly on her little stool in front of all the angry locals and dignitaries, her face an iron mask. As Mel studied her, she couldn't help but feel bad for the Lady. If she'd had a choice, she would have forgiven Bianca if she'd let her; she didn't have a choice, though. It was too big of an event to sweep under the rug and the people were demanding repercussions. And thus, here they were, five days after the incident, participating in a trial with an already predetermined outcome.

The judges deep voice broke into Mel's thoughts, "…unless anyone else has anything to add, the court will now take a brief respite to make it's decision. Does anyone have something they feel should be said?" Tearing her eyes from Bianca's sad form, Mel stood up, leaning heavily on her crutch, and faced the judge. "Yes, Master Wizard? Do you have something to add to your previous statements?"

"No, your honor." Mel could feel everyone's eyes boring into her, but that didn't bother her, she was used to making speeches. She just hoped she could get her point across, "What I have to say is that although Lady Bianca has done a great misdeed, she did so with only the purest of motives. From her point of view, I was a great danger to those she cared about, and she was willing to do anything to protect them. Her choice of action may have been poor, for violence and death is never the answer, but she was only doing what she felt was 'right'."

"What I ask of you," Mel added, strengthening her voice so that even the people behind her would hear clearly, "all_ of you_, is to find understanding in your hearts. The law is the law, and it must be upheld, I understand that. But I still ask for you to search within yourselves for the ability to be lenient towards Lady Bianca Merinos, who did wrong only in an attempt to do right. Thank you." And with that, Merleawe returned to her seat, ignoring the whispering going on around her as the judge closed the session for it's respite.

Mel was nervous, there was no way she could know if her closing speech had had any effect until the verdict was given, and by then, there would be nothing more she could do. She knew very well that attempting to assassinate the Master Wizard was considered to be punishable by death. If she had failed to lighten people's attitude towards Bianca, then…then…

A hand gently touched her hands, which she hadn't noticed were now tightly clasped and shaking. As she looked up at Fern, he whispered gruffly, "You did fine, so quit worrying already." Mel smiled up at him thankfully. He hadn't really approved of her plan, but he'd supported her anyways. And considering he was the only one who'd known about the speech ahead of time, it meant a lot to her. Really she hadn't planed on telling _anyone_, but somehow Fern had figured out she was planning something, and in the end, she had to tell him.

The doors swung open and the judge and jury reentered the courtroom. As everyone settled down, a silence overcame the room, as if every breath were held in anticipation of what the judge would say. "The decision was unanimous. The Lady Bianca Merinos of Caldia is hereby found guilty of attempted assassination of the Master Wizard of Viegald. After careful consideration this court has decided that the Lady Bianca Merinos shall be forevermore exiled from Viegald. Furthermore, should the Master Wizard ever pass the boarders of Viegald, the Lady Bianca Merinos shall not be allowed to come within a days ride of her. Should either of these conditions be broken, the penalty will be death."

* * *

The next morning, Fern stood outside Mel's door, debating with himself; the same thing he'd been deliberating on ever since he'd regained consciousness. Should he bring up what he'd accidentally let out. He never should have told her in the first place-he was still beating himself up for that-but since he'd already let the cat out of the bag… Was it wrong to want to find out her answer? Yes, it was. Did he care? No. "Well, here goes nothing."

Knocking, Fern let himself in when Mel's voice bade him to. She was sitting on her bed, already dressed despite the early hour, brushing her hair as best she could with one hand. "Good morning, Fern!" Straining at a knot just outside her reach, she added chipperly, "Could you help me with this, please? Lou said I shouldn't use my left arm for another two days, but with hair this long, it's a bit hard!"

With a small smile, Fern settled down to help, biding his time. He dreaded her answer just as much as he anticipated it. She'd had plenty of time to ponder his confession, and she'd probably already made a decision, but…she hadn't said anything about it. She'd never even hinted at it, let alone brought up the subject. With that being the case already, he could only prepare his heart for the inevitable. Still, he'd rather hear it directly from her. If he didn't, he'd probably never get over her.

Setting down the brush, Fern turned to Mel, his face serious as he forced himself to get it over with, "Mel, I know you care about me…but to what _extent_? What are your feelings for me?"

There was hardly a pause before Mel's face lit with a grin and she answered as if it was the most obvious thing, "Well, of course, I love you."

Fern was speechless. Out of everything he'd expected her to say, that wasn't it. For a moment his heart fluttered, but then something about her mannerisms set off warning bells in his head. She'd answered without hesitation, but in such a commonplace way that it was almost as if… '_Dang it!_'he cursed in his head as he remembered Mel having claimed back at the capital that seeing everyone was just like a **family **reunion. '_Why didn't I ever consider that possibility? I just told her and ran…I didn't even think she'd take it the wrong way!_'

Fern felt like ramming his head into a wall, "I think you've misunderstood, Mel." Leaning in closer, he stressed, "When I said that I-that I loved you-I _didn't _mean as a brother!" What happened next was two things, one he expected, the other he did not. First Mel's eyes went big, as if she couldn't believe what he was saying. What happened next was that she started to laugh.

Fern didn't know what to think before she enveloped him in a hug, but things weren't boding well in his mind. "Fern, you're so silly!" Definitely not well. As she pulled back, her hands still on his shoulders, she smiled the biggest smile he'd ever seen. "I may be oblivious, Fern, but not _that _oblivious." And then she just sat back, saying nothing more as she just looking at him with that grin of hers.

Fern was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say, what to do. He was shell-shocked. His being frozen in place probably saved him from more embarrassment as just then the door flung open and Seraphia came rushing in, exclaiming about having forgotten to tell Mel something important. After that, Fern found himself ushered out of the room by the princess, the door closing abruptly in his face with the order to get himself ready to go and to leave Mel to her.

* * *

"Mel, I can't believe that I've forgotten to tell you! I mean, with the trial and everything, I guess it just slipped my mind; but I think you should be the first to know!" By this point, Seraphia was practically jumping on Mel's bed. Mel laughed, patting the space beside her on the bed. The princess leaped to occupy it.

"Ok, so what is it, pri-Seraphia?"

For once Seraphia didn't seem to notice her slip up. "Oh, Mel, you were right! Thank you so much for telling me not to give up! It was because of you that I had the courage to confess!" After a pause, Seraphia added slightly less enthusiastically, "Well, that and the fact that I feared Vaith would say something stupid to Lecto before I got to tell him."

"Congratulations. I'm proud of you!" she paused, and then added, though she already knew, "And what was his answer?"

Seraphia hugged Mel, bouncing as she exclaimed, "He said he felt the same!" Sliding off the bed the princess started to pace/bounce around the room, "So far we haven't told anyone, it's been too hectic. But I can't wait to tell Grandpa!" Suddenly Seraphia froze, going pale. "Oh no, what if Grandpa doesn't approve?"

Hearing the tears threatening in Seraphia's voice, Mel quickly interceded, "Of course he'll approve! He loves you and wants you to be happy. And on top of that, a union between the two of you would actually be a good political move, what with him being from a prominent noble family and a possible candidate for the now vacant post of Under Secretary." Smiling as she thought of something else, she added confidently, "Besides, his Majesty trusts in Yue's judgment, and I can tell you right now that Yue would support you and Lecto fully."

"Thanks Mel." Looking around the room, the princess sighed, "Well, I suppose we had better hurry. I want to get back home…I kind of miss it." Taking Mel's bag in hand, she added, "I'll get your stuff to where it needs to go. You just focus on getting out to the courtyard and finding Fern…preferably without tripping over anything."

Mel pouted as the princess swept out of the room, shouting after her, "It was only once, and the floor had just been mopped!" The princes didn't reply, she was already halfway down the hall. Shaking her head, Mel grabbed her crutch and started slowly out the door, always being careful to put as little weight on her injured leg as she could. Lou really hadn't wanted her to leave just yet, but with some persuasion from Yue, he'd finally given in…but not without some misgivings. He'd somehow made Yue agree to not let Mel ride alone on her horse, fearing her wounds could cause her to fall off and make her injuries even worse.

Mel shook her head, she had a feeling that Yue and Lou would never really get along. They respected each other and obviously could cooperate with each other, or at least compromise, but she doubted they'd ever like each other much. Apparently their first impressions had been rather bad-which was sad, since she like both of them so much. Mel, preoccupied with her thoughts, didn't notice the steps down to the courtyard until it was too late.

* * *

Fern rushed forward, catching Mel before she did anymore damage to herself. "Dang it, Mel, pay attention!"

Mel smiled up at him as he set her down, "Thank you." She apparently hadn't listened to him, how typical. With a sigh he followed her as she hobbled towards the mount they would be sharing, stopping periodically along the way to talk to groups of people who had wandered in from the town to see the procession go-and to make sure that the Master Wizard really would be ok.

Fern shook his head as Mel bent down as much as her injuries would allow in order to talk to a small child who was crying. Apparently the kid had gotten lost and Mel just couldn't leave him there alone, now could she. Next thing he knew, they were wandering around searching for the child's parents, which took a good ten minutes since the courtyard was crowded. Really, Mel was just too concerned about other people.

After that long detour they had almost reached their horse when Mel nearly hit the ground again, this time because of a pebble. Fern's quick reflexes saved her, but this time he wasn't letting go of her. If he did, he just knew she'd find a way to end up in another dangerous situation-that, or she'd spot someone else who she felt deserved her time, and would go off on another detour. And really, even though they still had time to spare (apparently some of the nobles hadn't woken up when they should have, causing a delay), there probably wouldn't be time for another ten minute jaunt.

Mel must have read his mind, because she said, "Fern, I can walk on my own. Or don't you trust me?"

Fern chuckled, "Oh, I trust you all right; I trust you to do what you always have done."

Mel glared up at him playfully as he led her to their horse, which blocked everyone else from sight, "Oh, so you know me that well, do you?"

"Really Mel, some things _never _change."

Mel shook her head as she allowed Fern to lift her into the saddle and, catching Fern by surprise as he prepared to get up behind her, she bent down and kissed him on the cheek. "Yeah…" she began with the closest thing to a smirk Fern had ever seen on her face.

"But some things do!"

* * *

The End

Ok, I hope you liked it. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to post this chapter, but school keeps me on a tight leash. This is the first break during which I haven't had any homework (or just plain work) to stop my creative writing from happening. Well, to make up for the delay, this chapter was three pages longer than normal. If you see any errors, please tell me and I will fix them as soon as I can.

This is the last chapter-unless I get enough reviews (at least 5) asking for a bonus/epilogue. If you do want this 'last adition', then please give me at least a brief explanation of what you want (ex: far future, immediately after return to the capital, Seraphia's birthday, etc), If you want to go into more detail, that's fine with me too. What I do from here on out depends on the response I get. If I get a favorable response before my break is over, I'll try to get it up right away, but if it takes too long and school starts again, it may be another long wait. Just warning you.

I'd love to hear from you (though I don't want any flames, it's Christmas…well, close enough anyways), so please read, review, and visit my DeviantART page! Now, onto the _pretty list_!

Thanks to: RebelAngel91210, Rebel of my Destiny, CrimsonRose18, cheer up emo kid, Destiny101, FairWeatherPuppeh, & Kayashiku for reviewing!


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